The outcome of the U.S. midterm elections will likely impact U.S. policy toward Latin America. AS/COA Online takes a look at the debates over free trade, Californian drug policy, border security, and immigration.

An AS/COA Online interview with New Mexico’s governor covers topics ranging from the need for a hemispheric security pact to the shifting U.S.-Cuban relationship. Richardson also urged for comprehensive immigration reform, warning of “continued division” without it.

Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos delivered remarks at an AS/COA event hours after news broke of a strike that killed a top FARC leader as well as the capture of 14 computers and 60 USB drives. “What happened back home in Colombia with this military success we had 24 hours ago really is something that is going to change our history,” he said.

In what President Juan Manuel Santos called “a decisive blow,” a Colombian strike this week claimed the life of the FARC’s top military leader Jorge Briceño Suárez, known as Mono Jojoy.

As the Mexican Congress prepares to come back in session, President Felipe Calderón unveiled a new bill aimed to strike at the heart of organized crime by stemming the flow of illicit cash that funds cartels. But some wonder how the new law might affect legitimate business.

Data from the first region-wide citizen terror assessment shows the importance of a strong rule of law in putting citizens at ease.