"Chilean culture is steeped in poetry; poetry has become a life-blood of that country, ingrained in the bedrock as it were, over time," writes Americas Society's Daniel Shapiro for CNN. Two of the miners rescued from Chile's San José mine were identified as poets.

"Speculation is rampant in Washington that the November 2 mid-term elections will usher in a new phase of trade expansion for the United States," argues Eric Farnsworth in an op-ed for The Miami Herald.

To stem the flow of illegal drugs, the United States and Bolivia "need to find a more effective way to cooperate for mutual benefit," argues COA's Eric Farnsworth in The Houston Chronicle. "Rethinking the bilateral approach to coca is a promising place to start."

"Over a five week span, voters in Venezuela, Brazil, and the United States, respectively, will make choices that will reconfirm or redirect the Bolivarian revolution, support or soften the international course that President Lula has set, and continue or overturn the ongoing pause in the U.S. trade agenda with the hemisphere," writes COA's Eric Farnsworth.

"If done carefully, further reforms hold the promise of breaking the policy and human rights stasis that has gripped Cuba, and U.S. policy towards Cuba, for more than half a century. That is a prize worth grasping," writes AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini in the Financial Times.

Data from the first region-wide citizen terror assessment shows the importance of a strong rule of law in putting citizens at ease.

While Venezuela and Colombia have taken an important step in reestablishing diplomatic ties, a sustained commitment by both countries will be necessary to achieve a new era of bilateral cooperation, writes AS/COA's Jason Marczak in El Diario/La Prensa. (en español)