Yon Goicoechea, Venezuelan law student, activist, and founder of the Futuro Presente Foundation describes his plans to start a school for young political leaders. “I believe that to have modern countries, we also have to renew our political structures,” says Goicoechea.

Yon Goicoechea, estudiante venezolano de derecho, activista y fundador de la fundación Futuro Presente describe sus planes de fundar una escuela para líderes políticos jovenes. "Yo creo que para tener países modernos también hace falta renovar nuestras estructuras políticas," dijo Goicoechea.

President Rafael Correa appoints a new head of state-owned Petroecuador after official figures show a slowdown in crude oil production. The move comes after Ecuador proposed to cut windfall taxes for private firms and signed a refinery agreement with Venezuela. 

Leaders from the European Union and Latin America gathered in Lima for a biennial summit, focusing on trade, inequality, and climate change as rising food prices threaten to exacerbate poverty. 

In an AS/COA Online interview, OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza describes the role of the agency in negotiating recent border tensions between Ecuador and Colombia, autonomy and recall votes in Bolivia, and U.S.-Cuba relations. "[T]he OAS has to prove itself as the main forum for political dialogue in the Americas," said Insulza.

A proposal to create a South American defense alliance arose last week during a Brazil-Venezuela summit. As tensions between Ecuador and Colombia continue, Brazilian officials recommend a defense board to mediate in regional disputes.

Presidents of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela ended their standoff and the FARC appears increasingly weakened. But the contents of an assassinated FARC leader's laptop suggest the group's reach extends well past Colombia's borders.