The U.S. Department of State released this fact sheet on the Central America Regional Security Initiative on February 6, 2012.

Grupo Salinas chairman and founder Ricardo Salinas discusses the challenges of doing business in Latin America with CFR Board Member Donna Hrinak.

The U.S. ratification of the stalled Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama indicates that "there is a possibility, despite the very great partisan divisions in Congress, of bipartisan cooperation on economic issues," says CFR's Edward Alden. However, Alden emphasizes that "it is important not to overstate the potential job creation benefits" of the agreements.

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 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.

The McKinsey Executive Roundtable Series in International Economics is presented by the Corporate Program and the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies.

Press Conference

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

Latin Americans must look in the mirror and confront the reality that many of our problems lie not in our stars but in ourselves. Only then will the region finally attain the development it has so long sought.

Joel D. Hirst discusses the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) and its ambitious plan to control information across Latin America.

Joel D. Hirst discusses a document that offers the building blocks for the "21st century socialism."

Joel D. Hirst discusses efforts by Honduras to rejoin the Organization of American States.

The Financial Times' John Paul Rathbone and Jonathan Wheatley examine the perennial Brazilian optimism and the international anticipation on the eve of the nation's September presidential election.

Initiative

The Obama administration has not yet delivered on the promising new policy for Latin America and the Caribbean it announced last year, but it still can.

Michael Shifter at Foreign Policy explains how South America has shifted out of America's sphere and has "stopped caring what the United States thinks."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton faces a difficult task persuading Brazil to join tougher UN sanctions on Iran, amid a series of important regional meetings, says CFR's Julia Sweig.

Agreement

Jorge G. Castañeda writes on when the Yanquis go home.

Marifeli Perez-Stable criticizes the Nicaraguan government under Daniel Ortega for damaging Nicaraguan democracy, and says that Ortega's attempt to hold on to power past 2011 may create a political crisis.