"A successful trip could be measured as one in which Obama and the leaders of the visited countries better understand the shared vision before us," writes AS/COA President and CEO Susan Segal in an article about President Barack Obama's March 19-23 trip.

"Mutually beneficial engagement requires the United States to welcome Brazil’s emergence as a global power," writes Ambassador Luigi R. Einaudi for the Institute for National Strategic Studies.

Mexico's finance secretary traveled to New York amid positive news about his country's economic outlook. Meanwhile, some U.S. officials have raised concerns about security along the Mexican border even as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security touts low crime rates in border cities.

AS/COA hosted the seminar in which speakers presented different perspectives on oil and gas management in Latin America, highlighting countries that have been increasing their reserves and production by implementing reforms that attract investment, and the challenges that remain.

Latin American young adults bear the brunt of tight labor markets during the economic downturn. Governments, businesses, and civil society can step up to help.

"With an economy the size of the rest of the region put together and rapid growth, Brazil is leading Latin America’s conscious and confident outreach to partners beyond the United States," writes COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth in The Miami Herald.

Even as Beijing becomes an important source of investment, Brazil frets over how an undervalued yuan has led to a flood of Chinese goods. Will Chinese inflation resolve Brazil’s worries?