Pablo Reyes, Director of the Center for Latin American Strategic Studies in Bogota, calls for careful policy planning for biofuels. He writes that governments and industry. "International cooperation is essential for the biofuels industry to move forward," he writes.

The hemisphere-wide commodity-led boom is unlikely to improve competitiveness without sweeping reforms in the areas of infrastructure, institutions, and human capital, according to Jerry Haar of Florida International University. His new book, Can Latin America Compete? Confronting the Challenges of Globalization, will be launched at AS/COA.

President Felipe Calderón presented a much-anticipated energy reform proposal to Mexico's Congress on April 8. Politics and questions about private investment will determine the fate of the bill.

Bruce Dale, Professor, Michigan State University, and David Pimentel duel over the economic and environmental sense of biofuels.

Experts say China's appetite for commodities helps insulate Latin America against the sluggish U.S. economy. Others point to ways the region can take advantage of the windfall through reforms and infrastructure development.

In testimony before U.S. Congress, COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth says many countries in the Latin America lack the investment needed to maximize exploration, production, and distribution of their natural resources. Energy cooperation with Latin American countries should be part of the U.S. strategic agenda for the region.

Bolivia struggles to maintain contractual commitments to Argentina and Brazil, leading to a recent leader’s meeting in Buenos Aires about the matter. In Venezuela, fallout continues following last year's nationalizations.