President Felipe Calderón signed a much-anticipated reform of Mexico's judicial system, allowing for greater transparency through public trials and presumption of innocence for defendants.
AS/COA hosted their 12th annual Bogotá Conference, “Colombia in the Eyes of Wall Street, Global Slowdown: Impact on Latin America” on June 18. The conference examined Colombia’s growth prospects in today’s challenging global environment. Read a summary of the event.
In recent days, Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez shifted tone on several policy fronts and urged the FARC to end its armed conflict with the Colombian government. But Chávez's critics complain he continues to attempt to silence opposition.
With tensions running high between some Andean countries, AS/COA convened a roundtable on economic, political, and security issues affecting the region. The discussion included a keynote speech by Ecuador's Minister of the Government and Police Fernando Bustamante.
After more than four decades of civil strife in Colombia, the death of the FARC’s founder and commander Manuel Marulanda's serves as the latest setback for an already weakened rebel group.
At the COA's Washington Conference on the Americas, Secretary Rice underscored that there has “never been a time in modern history” when the U.S. relationship with the hemisphere has been so critical. U.S. friendship is not contingent upon any ideological position; rather, the administration is committed to working with countries in advancing key development issues.
Latin America is “at a crossroads” marked by the struggle between competing futures, according to Colombian Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santos. This clash will shape internal and external geo-politics for years to come, forcing the United States to pay close attention to engagement with its friends.
