With Brazil's economy holding steady in the face of worldwide financial worries, the country could play a leadership role on matters ranging from trade to economic policy. Yet concerns about a possible global downturn remain. 

In the Calgary Herald, AS/COA President and CEO Susan Segal explains how, despite candidates' anti-NAFTA talk, the pact has proven a crucial investment and trade tool. "In a campaign about optimism and the promise of America, anti-NAFTA rhetoric simply doesn't fit," writes Segal.

The White House has stepped up efforts to gain approval for the U.S.-Colombia trade deal. But the Bush administration could face a battle in Congress. 

As the keynote speaker at AS/COA's annual Latin American Cities Conference in Mexico City, President Felipe Calderón addressed Mexico's economic advantages as well as trade, education, and energy.

In a recent op-ed, Republican Representative Roy Blunt advocates that the U.S. Congress must pass the Colombian Trade Promotion Act to ratify support for both our closest ally in the region and domestic exporters as well.

The North American Free Trade Agreement as been battered lately with sharp criticisms and calls has been made to withdrawal from it. In an op-ed, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez argues that this would be a disaster, hurting the U.S. economy, its workers, and its communities.