A free-trade agreement with Colombia would "give confidence to investors the country badly needs," as well as help finance judicial investigations, support the building of efficient infrastructure, and support human rights efforts, writes Edward Schumacher-Matos for The Washington Post.
News & Analysis
2010 marked a standout year for Latin America, where economic growth outpaced the global average. AS/COA Online takes a look at some of the top issues that will affect the region in 2011.
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica elected new presidents in 2010. AS/COA Online takes a look at these new leaders and considers the major events shaping their presidencies.
"The decreased vulnerability to international shocks through a diversified international market has been key to Peru's success," writes AS/COA's Jason Marczak for World Politics Review. "[T]he next challenge is making sure that growth also improves socioeconomic equality nationwide."
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega won congressional approval of three laws that some observers say will deepen executive and military powers. Such moves reflect other regional bids to strengthen or extend presidential power.
The Cancun climate talks that closed December 10 achieved near unanimity compared to the discord at last year's Copenhagen conference. But many observers call the COP16 agreement "modest" and debate its long-term viability.
"2010 has been particularly active for hemispheric elections, and the results are instructive as we look for clues of what may come in 2011," writes COA's Eric Farnsworth in PODER Hispanic.
Torrential downpours led the three countries to declare states of emergency, though how each handled the challenge differs.
Protests broke out in Haiti after election results showed President Réne Préval’s protégé Jude Célestin edging out Michel Martelly to face first-place-finisher Mirlande Manigat in the January runoff.
Argentina’s Mar del Plata played host to the twentieth Ibero-American summit, where leaders signed a declaration defending democracy and creating a path to boost access to education.
In a new interview with The Washington Post's Lally Weymouth, Brazilian President-elect Dilma Rousseff touches on topics ranging from her post-inauguration plans to visit the White House to Brazil's attitudes toward Iran to her plans for fiscal policy and poverty alleviation.
As President Felipe Calderón’s begins his fifth year in office, security and climate change are at the forefront of his agenda.
WikiLeaks released 251,287 classified U.S. State Department diplomatic cables on November 28. AS/COA Online takes a look at leaks related to security and policy issues in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Cué será el primer gobernador de la oposición en mas de 80 años, debido a una alianza de partidos diferentes. Habló con AS/COA Online, pocos días antes de su toma de posesión, sobre las expectativas para su gobierno y el estado.
Gabino Cué won election through unlikely political alliances to become the first opposition leader of Oaxaca in eight decades. He spoke with AS/COA Online ahead of his December 1 inauguration about expectations for his government.
This Energy Action Group paper tells the story of how Colombia has revived its once flailing energy sector over the course of the last decade, developing into one of Latin America’s foremost destinations for investment in the oil and gas sector and securing a steady supply of electricity for its growing population.
In an article for The Huffington Post, COA's Eric Farnsworth looks back at some of the most important stories coming out of the Americas in 2010, from Latin America's economic rise to elections that took place in the region.
Tainted by fraud allegations, Haiti's November 28 election was rejected by a majority of the presidential candidates. But, with results slated for December 7, the UN cautioned Haiti's political parties and voters to wait for the official outcome.
As world leaders gathered in Cancun for the UN Conference on Climate Change on November 29, Mexico and Brazil, Latin America's major carbon emitters, lead regional efforts to cut greenhouse gasses. Observers, however, question the likelihood of the summit producing any major international agreements.
"The Americas—like all foreign policy areas—will hurt for attention as administration and congressional leaders focus on the U.S. domestic agenda, including battles on healthcare and economic recovery," writes Brian Wanko.