Bolivia struggles to maintain contractual commitments to Argentina and Brazil, leading to a recent leader’s meeting in Buenos Aires about the matter. In Venezuela, fallout continues following last year's nationalizations. 

Caracas began the year by knocking zeros off its currency, but experts say the move won’t keep inflation in check.  A cabinet shuffle and the currency change came a month after voters rejected an overhaul of the constitution.

In a Sunday referendum, Venezuelans narrowly rejected sweeping constitutional changes. President Hugo Chavez, suffering his first electoral defeat since gaining office in 1998, accepted the loss "for now." AS/COA’s Latin America Conference featured a discussion panel on the referendum.

On November 30, AS/COA welcomed former Presidents José Sarney and Alejandro Toledo at the annual Latin America Conference. Panels focused on promoting social and economic development in the Americas as well as Venezuela's vote on constitutional reform.

While world attention focuses on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's war of words with Colombia and Spain, Venezuelans prepare to vote on a constitutional referendum that could allow Chavez to hold office indefinitely. Polls indicate the outcome of Sunday's vote remains uncertain. AS/COA’s Latin America Conference featured a discussion panel on the referendum.

Topics in this issue:
• Chávez’s new term
• Nationalization plans
• Oil companies

Peru narrowly dodged a bullet on June 4 when centrist Alan Garcia defeated Ollanta Humala, a radical anti-U.S. demagogue, by an uncomfortably narrow margin. Humala was threatening to pull Peru back from the global economy, install a more authoritarian regime and ally himself with Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez.