"The calculus is simple: if we can’t get it right with Mexico, our closest Latin neighbor both literally and figuratively, we’ll have trouble with the rest of our hemispheric agenda," writes COA's Eric Farnsworth in an article for Poder.

Leading up to the Summit of the America, AS/COA Miami hosted a panel discussion on prospects for trade and integration in Latin America. At a time of financial crisis and a tendency toward protectionism, speakers agreed there is a need to consider a broader agenda for growth across the Western Hemisphere.

Mexico’s former undersecretary for international trade negotiations looks at how free trade can help Latin America to reignite economic growth.

"Generally unpopular in Washington, trade is now an orphan," write COA’s Eric Farnsworth and Michelle Morton for Poder magazine. “Pending trade agreements manifestly in the U.S. interest are languishing.” Solutions to jump-start the ailing hemispheric economy include conclusion of a trans-Pacific trade agreement.

"Canada should accept the reality that Mexico is likely to become a much more significant player in North America," writes journalist David Crane. In Embassy, he highlights the reasons why Washington pays an increasing amount of attention to its southern neighbor as well as growing Mexican-Canadian trade ties.

Mexico struck back by raising tariffs on almost 90 U.S. goods after Washington cancelled a cross-border trucking program. The trucking project was a step towards meeting obligations carved out under NAFTA. Can upcoming visits by U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heal the rift?

AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini writes in El Diario/LaPrensa that during Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva’s White House visit he advocated for the continued flow of free trade to confront the global economic crisis, a stance removed from Lula’s political beginnings as a trade union leader. (en español)