Joel D. Hirst explains the Bolivarian Alternative to the Americas (ALBA).

Joel D. Hirst says recent uprisings in the Arab world present a mixed blessing for the United States and its efforts toward democracy promotion.

Joel D. Hirst discusses how the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas (ALBA) has taken shape in the six years since its creation.

Peru's presidential elections are shaping up as a four-way race of familiar faces with major consequences for the country's reformist path, writes CFR's Joel Hirst.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is pushing through a series of laws that will effectively quell legal means to opposition, a move that Washington must challenge, says CFR's Joel Hirst.

Venezuela's stepped-up efforts to develop nuclear power and tighten its bonds with Iran require a firm but deft diplomatic response from the Obama administration, write CFR's Joel Hirst and Jonathan Pearl.

Despite charges by Ecuador's president of a coup, the country is undergoing a serious police protest that got unwieldy, and Washington would be wise to steer clear of the dispute, says CFR's Joel Hirst.

Yesterday's National Assembly elections in Venezuela curtailed President Chávez's powers and opened the door to greater cooperation with the United States, says CFR's Joel Hirst.

Joel D. Hirst says the strength of Venezuela's opposition is increasing through greater unity ahead of the battle to remove Chavez in 2012.

Joel D. Hirst explains how the Honduras Truth Commission concluded that the removal of President Manuel Zelaya was a coup while at the same time concluding that Zelaya was breaking the law when he disregarded a Supreme Court ruling ordering him to cancel a referendum allowing for presidential reelection.

Joel D. Hirst says the Kingdom of Morocco has emerged from the Arab Spring as a model of Arab governance.

Joel D. Hirst says the Obama Administration's "reset button" on failed policies in Latin America could not come at a better moment, and there is still time to undo the damage.

Joel D. Hirst discusses the results of a recent referendum in Ecuador and the rise of anti-institutionalism in the Bolivarian Alliance countries.

Joel D. Hirst argues that if elected as president, Ollanta Humala will likely have Peru follow the path of Venezuela.

Joel D. Hirst discusses the upcoming election in Peru and says that a possible presidency by candidate Colonel Ollanta Humala holds serious consequences for Peruvians.

Joel D. Hirst discusses the death of Osama bin Laden.

Joel Hirst says that the United States cannot allow Hugo Chávez to use social movements, such as the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas, to facilitate the interaction of terrorist organizations.

Joel D. Hirst says the Obama administration must move with urgency to secure the extradition of Walid Makled García "el Turco" from Colombia to the United States.

Joel D. Hirst discusses the money behind Daniel Ortega's "pink revolution" in Nicaragua.

Joel D. Hirst discusses the hunger strike by nine Venezuelan students and their demand for action by the Organization of American States (OAS) on the state of democracy in Venezuela.