Contributions from Carin Zissis
Mauricio Funes took office this week in El Salvador, marking a historic power handover. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended, stressing the Obama administration's "new approach" to the Americas. At the OAS General Assembly in Honduras, the OAS chose to reverse a 1962 ruling that suspended Cuban membership.
In a historic move, the Obama administration chose Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic nominee for the Supreme Court. Analysts predict she will win confirmation, though the process may not be free of controversy.
A Brazilian delegation headed to Beijing this week to sign over a dozen deals, including a $10 billion energy pact. In recent weeks, new trade figures show China surpassed the United States as Brazil's main trading partner. The two countries also began investigating whether to drop the dollar as their bilateral trading currency.