Writing for openDemocracy, Dartmouth's John M. Carey looks at the Latin American trend of holding referendums to pave the way reelection. "[P]residents themselves tend to lack judgment as to when enough is enough," he writes. Adapted from an essay published in the Summer 2009 Americas Quarterly.

On the fiftieth anniversary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, former President of Peru Alejandro Toledo discusses the role the Commission has played in helping reconcile the region's complex past and safeguard its democratic institutions. Adapted from an article originally published in Americas Quarterly.

"We are at a tipping point. If national leaders turn to protectionism for domestic political reasons, we'll likely see policies that do lasting damage to global trade flows" writes UPS CEO Scott Davis in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal.

Writing in Financial Times, AS/COA Chairman William R. Rhodes calls for countries to avoid protectionist measures at the upcoming Group of Eight summit and to back up the pro-trade rhetoric of the recent G20 meeting with concrete action.

A Canadia-Colombia free trade deal awaits parliamentary approval in Ottawa. Canadian Senator Pamela Wallin writes that, despite resistance among some members of Parliament, "Colombia needs a helping hand—not a cold shoulder."

The OAS' recent decision to allow Cuba to reenter its ranks was largely a symbolic vote, which detracted attention from the deeper hemispheric problems of poverty, inequality, and security.

With trade a hard sell in Washington these days, it's time for the White House to actively support a free trade agreement with Panama, argues COA's Eric Farnsworth in Poder. The election of businessman Ricardo Martinelli as Panama's new president demonstrates the country's commitment to global commerce as a means to economic growth.