To no one's surprise, Venezuela's authoritarian president, Hugo Chávez swept to re-election victory on December 3. Chávez clearly intends to turn Latin America and the Caribbean toward authoritarianism and closed markets. To counter those aims, the United States must ratify promised trade ties with allies. It must enhance security… Read more

At a time when an anti-U.S. leader like Venezuela's Hugo Chavez is doing everything to drive a wedge between Latin America and the United States, you would think American lawmakers would be eager to confirm free-trade agreements with allies such as Peru. But with trade pacts facing an… Read more

Presidential runoff elections in Ecuador on November 26 appear to have produced a handy victory for radical young economist Rafael Correa over banana magnate Alvaro Noboa. Washington has an interest in a friendly, stable Ecuador, but this outcome may not be conducive to friendship or internal stability. The… Read more

When U.S. President George W. Bush and Mexican President-elect Felipe Calderón meet on November 9, the U.S.-Mexico border will be at the top of their agenda. Their first priority should be shared initiatives that make border communities more safe, secure, and prosperous. This will require substantially reducing the… Read more

Former Sandinista comandante Daniel Ortega is back, having won a first-round victory on November 5-his fourth try at the presidency of Nicaragua since free elections were instituted in 1990. His vague promises to curb poverty were enough to beat investment banker Eduardo Montealegre's concrete proposals, thanks to a split… Read more

In 2004, the United States began negotiating free trade agreements (FTAs) with Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. These were intended to replace the limited, temporary preferences granted to certain South American countries under the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA). Peru… Read more

Radical leftist presidential candidate Rafael Correa was favored in opinion polls going into Ecuador's presidential and legislative elections on October 15. In a surprising result, moderate industrialist Alvaro Noboa garnered 27 percent of the vote to Correa's 23 percent, followed by other challengers with counts in the teens… Read more

Ten years ago this month, the 24-person Arts America bureau within the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) got the budget ax-condemned as a Cold War relic. Now, the Bush Administration is wisely reviving it as the Global Cultural Initiative, which launched on September 25.   Spending… Read more

Ten years ago this month, the 24-person Arts America bureau within the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) got the budget ax-condemned as a Cold War relic. Now, the Bush Administration is wisely reviving it as the Global Cultural Initiative, which launched on September 25.   Spending U.S. tax dollars on… Read more

There was plenty of sulfur in the air at the United Nations on Wednesday, but it wasn't coming from George W. Bush. It was in the fire and brimstone of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. Heads of state, including U.S. presidents, have sometimes used the U.N. General Assembly… Read more