U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner suggested February 16 that free trade deals with Colombia and Panama should gain approval this year along with the South Korea trade pact. His comments coincide with an uptick in pressure to set timelines on the trade deals.

Colombia and China may partner to build a 137-mile railway linking the Andean country’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The “dry canal” project fuels speculation that Colombia is looking beyond the United States for trade opportunities.

"With an economy the size of the rest of the region put together and rapid growth, Brazil is leading Latin America’s conscious and confident outreach to partners beyond the United States," writes COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth in The Miami Herald.

"[T]he facts in this case are pretty straightforward: In markets opened up by previous free trade agreements, the overwhelming majority of states have seen exports grow—in some cases exponentially," writes AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini in The Houston Chronicle.

In the 2011 State of the Union, President Barack Obama signaled his support for pending trade deals with Colombia and Panama. But it remains to be seen how hard he will push for their passage. Will the two Latin American countries look elsewhere for trade partners?

In a statement submitted to the House Ways and Means Committee, Council of the Americas urged ratification of pending free-trade pacts with Colombia and Panama to achieve the administration's goal of doubling U.S. exports while prioritizing hemispheric relations.

The U.S. Secretary of State reiterated Washington’s support for Mexico’s fight against organized crime after leaked cables indicated doubts. Meanwhile, Mexico’s troubled border region shows positive economic signs as manufacturing jobs sprout.