A referendum proposed by Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa would reform the judiciary and crack down on crime, but critics say it will strengthen the executive’s hand.

Caribbean and Latin American dictators were once confident they could stash their corrupt earnings overseas. No longer.

Read remarks delivered at AS/COA's 2010 Latin American Cities Conference by Argentine Chief Justice Ricardo Lorenzetti. (en español)

The U.S. Trade Representative filed a complaint against Guatemala on July 30, claiming violations to labor rights agreed to under the Central American Free Trade Agreement. The dispute marks the first U.S. case of its kind within the framework of a trade pact.

Rule of law is touted as a necessary ingredient for attracting foreign investment into an economy. However "the relationship isn't that easy or clear," writes AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini in The Huffington Post.

The resignation of Carlos Castresana marks an alarming new juncture in the battle to regain control of state institutions from deeply entrenched criminal interests.

Recent civil unrest in Jamaica raised concerns about the goverment's ability to tackle criminal gangs and drug lords. Experts disagree on the prime minister’s future political prospects in the wake of turmoil in Tivoli Gardens sparked by the search for kingpin Christopher Coke.