On January 8, President Michele Bachelet reshuffled her cabinet for the third time during her tenure in office. The latest change draws experienced appointees into the fold and seeks to heal rifts in the governing coalition.

Chile is a competitive alternative to India for information technology services, according to speakers at a recent program co-hosted with the Chilean Economic Development Agency.

Robert Gates made his first trip to Latin America as U.S. defense secretary, beginning his five-country tour in El Salvador. The secretary's itinerary included stops in Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Suriname to focus on Washington's security ties in the region. A recent editorial co-authored by COA's Eric Farnsworth examines trade policy as a way to boost U.S.-Latin American relations.

Speakers at our fourth annual Latin American Cities Conference in Chile noted the country's continued high rates of investment, growth, and employment. However, they warned that sustained growth depends on social integration and improvements in education and information technology.

As the United States and Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA) concludes its third year, commercial trade, both in products and services, has been a resounding success.

At the 2001 Washington Conference on the Americas, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Horst Kohler, discussed how the International Monetary Fund intends to become more efficient in helping to resolve and avoid financial crises. He later stated the importance of getting investment capital from the rest of the world in impoverished countries.