The U.S. presidential hopefuls made their decisions on running mates, with longtime Senator Joe Biden as the Democratic choice and the relatively unknown Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin on the GOP ticket. Where do the vice presidential candidates stand on Latin America-related issues and can they help draw the crucial Hispanic vote?

In a new article for Poder, COA's Eric Farnsworth writes that with deteriorating relations in the hemisphere, a high priority for the next president should be restoring the special envoy for the Americas, a key part of U.S. foreign diplomacy.

U.S.-Argentine relations and the effects of global economic turbulence were among the topics discussed at AS/COA's annual conference in Buenos Aires. Featured speakers included U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Tom Shannon, European Central Bank President Lucas Papademos, and Economy Minister Carlos Fernández. Read the conference summary.

U.S. Congressman Gregory Meeks, in remarks delivered at AS/COA's Latin American Cities Conference in Montevideo, urged the expansion of inter-American trade pacts. Representative Meeks sees an opportunity to "construct a new framework for hemispheric cooperation and renew our joint focus on hemisphere unity." 

At the July 24 launch of AS/COA’s white paper U.S. Business and Hispanic Integration, Senator Ken Salazar, Representative Michael Honda, and other congressional leaders joined high-ranking corporate representatives to speak on the importance of achieving greater integration of Hispanics within the United States.

AS/COA Director of Public Policy Programs Juan Cruz Diaz draws on his experience at the 2005 Mar del Plata Summit to look ahead to next year’s meeting of regional leaders, outlining steps that should be taken for a successful summit.

Drug-related violence continues to plague Mexico despite President Calderon’s efforts to stem the violence. Recent U.S. congressional approval of funding to help combat drug and gang violence is the first step in a larger multilateral assistance agreement.