More than sixteen months after its signing, the U.S.–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement is now in the hands of the U.S. Congress.

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.

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. 

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.

Has the United States "lost" Latin America? AS/COA Senior Policy Director Christopher Sabatini and COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth explore the shared responsibility between U.S. and Latin American leaders in the breakdown of hemispheric consensus around democracy and open markets.

Canadian and Mexican observers pay close attention to the hotly contested race for the White House, particularly as Democrats step up attacks on NAFTA.