On the eve of Secretary Hillary Clinton's trip to Mexico, an AS/COA panel examined bilateral approaches to solve security issues and overcome financial concerns. Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Arturo Sarukhán and former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Jim Jones participated.

AS/COA's annual Mexico City conference featured a keynote speech by Mexican President Felipe Calderón. With economic and security matters ranking high on the U.S.-Mexico agenda, ministers and private sector leaders commented on opportunities for cooperation.

An AS/COA program launched a new report by Fundacion IDEA on intellectual property rights protection in Mexico. Panelists discussed the larger linkages between IPR and innovation.

At an AS/COA program, Cuba experts and the author of Cuba Wars, a new book by Dan Erikson, discussed the current state of U.S. policy toward the island nation and changes that could be expected in the near future. This discussion comes at a pivotal time, as leadership transitions have occurred in both countries.

An AS/COA panel on the World Bank's Doing Business 2009 survey examined Latin America's progress in addressing regulatory reform to promote business growth.

AS/COA hosted a pre-trip videoconference and panel discussion for media and the public in anticipation of President Obama´s first international trip. The February 19, 7-hour visit to Ottawa, Canada, included meetings with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other Canadian officials.

On February 9, AS/COA organized a public panel to look at the February 15, 2009, referendum in Venezuela that abolished term limits for all elected officials. The discussion focused on public opinion trends ahead of the upcoming vote, economic implications, and the legitimacy of the referendum.