"The existing model for expanding trade in the hemisphere—in essence, piecemeal liberalization—has reached a point of diminishing returns," writes COA's Eric Farnsworth in Current History.

Five decades after the overthrow of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, U.S.-Cuban relations remain on ice. In an op-ed, AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini writes that political prisoners and divided families stand as victims in the two countries' ongoing standoff. (en español)

In a Miami Herald op-ed, COA's Eric Farnsworth examines the U.S.-Panamanian relationship since 1989. "[T]he United States and Panama have gone from hostility and military action to development spurred by globalization and trade," he writes.

Latin Americans want Washington to join them as partners on the international stage, says Christopher Sabatini in an op-ed in the Miami Herald, citing essays from hemispheric leaders to President-elect Obama in the latest issue of Americas Quarterly.

In El Diario/La Prensa, Christopher Sabatini writes that the media inflated South America's leftward shift. Instead, election outcomes reflect the desire for pragmatic change similar to the one shown by the choice of Barack Obama for U.S. president. (en español)

Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, former president of Bolivia, outlines a concrete working agenda for the Obama administration. Originally published in Americas Quarterly.

Building on a previous AQ article, Admiral James Stavridis outlines some of the Southern Command's key initiatives in Latin America, including traveling hospital ships to provide training and medical services.