The U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement has moved closer to submission to Congress. A new COA update looks at the progress and potential next steps for advancing the bilateral trade pact.

In light of the ongoing economic reform process in Cuba, the report outlines specific steps that can be taken by the Cuban government, the U.S. government, NGOs and foundations to assist independent small and micro-entrepreneurs in Cuba.

The president’s tour of Latin America was too important to postpone, writes AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini in The Huffington Post.

El Salvador's President Mauricio Funes played host to his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama during the last leg of the American leader's Latin American tour. The two presidents spoke about how to create domestic potential to help young Salvadorans avoid migration and organized crime.

U.S. President Barack Obama told an audience in Rio that Brazil is a “thriving democracy” and a model for movements rising against authoritarian governments in the Middle East and North Africa.

President Barack Obama made the case for his first trip to South America before arriving by saying economic partnerships with the region will help secure U.S. jobs. In Brasilia, Obama met with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who called for a more multilateral world.

Central American security concerns were on the agenda during the U.S. president’s March 22 stop in San Salvador. His visit coincides with plans to bump up funding for the region’s struggle against rising gang-related violence.