Americas Society and Council of the Americas hosted private and public programming during United Nations General Assembly week with the presidents of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Central American leaders gathered in San Salvador July 20 to coordinate strategies for stemming the rising tide of violence caused by organized crime, particularly in the “northern triangle” of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.

In a new Americas Quarterly feature, former Vice President of Costa Rica Kevin Casas-Zamora, analyzes how to break the link between organized crime and politics.

Laura Chinchilla takes the reins in Costa Rica on May 8. The country's first female president initiated her policy agenda beforehand, naming ministers and touring Central America to promote regional unity and security.

The president-elect is expected to maintain pro-business and pro-free trade policies while ramping up the fight against crime and narcotics trafficking.

Laura Chinchilla, hand-picked successor of President Óscar Arias, won the February 7 election. She will be the first woman to serve as Costa Rica's president.

From October 2009 through October 2010, seven presidential races are taking place in Latin America, with elections in Uruguay, Honduras, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Brazil. AS/COA offers an interactive guide to the results thus far and poll figures for elections yet to come.