Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s meeting with Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gave the leaders of the two biggest Latin American economies the chance to talk about boosting cooperation on trade and energy.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper travels to Mexico and Panama in the coming days. Canadian Senator Pamela Wallin writes about the probable inking of a trade deal during the prime minister's Panama visit as well as the successful conclusion of Ottawa's trade deal with Peru.

The leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States met August 9 and 10 for the first North American Leader’s Summit since President Barack Obama took office. Trade, climate change, migration, and security dominated talks and leaders voiced their commitment to a resolution to the Honduran crisis.

Passage of the Colombia trade deal would expand a robust market for U.S. goods and help combat the effects of the financial crisis, writes Benjamin D. Wolf of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

A free trade deal that adds Peru to Canada's Latin American trade network came into effect August 1. The agreement eliminates tariffs on more than 95 percent of goods and eases Canadian access to several sectors of Peru’s economy.

Once again, Caracas iced ties with Bogota and suggested it would look elsewhere for imports. The move came in response to Colombian allegations that Venezuelan arms fell into guerrilla hands. An AS/COA news analysis looks at Colombian trade relations with its neighbor and regional partners.

"We are at a tipping point. If national leaders turn to protectionism for domestic political reasons, we'll likely see policies that do lasting damage to global trade flows" writes UPS CEO Scott Davis in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal.