While the U.S. presidential race sparks debate about NAFTA, officials spar over a U.S.-Mexico pilot trucking program. Critics raise fears about Mexican truckers on U.S. roads, but the Department of Transportation finds the project benefits U.S. truckers and trade.

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.