Shannon K. O'Neil and Sebastian Chaskel write that "the U.S. can improve Colombia's human rights situation by bolstering economic opportunities through the FTA."

A meeting with the President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe Velez.

Listen to Álvaro Uribe Vélez, president of Colombia, speak about his administration's achievements and the challenges facing Colombia.

Listen to Álvaro Uribe Vélez, president of Colombia, speak about his administration's achievements and the challenges facing Colombia.

Colombia’s role in the War on Drugs and its potential as a free trade partner makes it a lucrative part of John McCain’s foreign policy, writes Julia Sweig.   

Venezuela’s alleged collusion with the FARC guerrilla group fighting Colombia’s government has serious implications for regional security.

With Washington facing increasing mistrust in Latin America, experts call for bolstering U.S. policy in areas such as energy security, migration, and poverty reduction.

This report was prepared for members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in preparation for their fact-finding mission to Ecuador and Colombia from March 18-19, 2008, in response to the FARC raid weeks prior.

A sharp rise in Venezuelan cocaine trafficking undermines U.S. efforts to crack down on the narcotics trade in neighboring Colombia.

Democrats in the House threaten to derail a free trade deal with Colombia, another sign of shifting U.S. attitudes.

This bilateral commercial treaty between the United States and Colombia was signed on November 22, 2006. The agreement was passed by Congress on October 12, 2011 and entered into force on May 15, 2012.

A Colombian incursion into Ecuador sparks a regional diplomatic crisis at a time of increased arms spending across South America.

Francisco R. Rodriguez, an expert on Venezuelan affairs, says the show of force by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez after the Colombian incursion into Ecuador is an attempt to bolster his declining popularity at home.

President Bush's farewell State of the Union address was marked by a call for Congress to unite behind his Iraq policy and curtail partisanship.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was hailed for his plan to demobilize the country’s paramilitaries, but observers warn the groups are reforming under a different guise.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez are mending ties despite their ideological differences.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discusses recent trade agreements with Peru, Columbia, and Panama.

To most U.S. citizens Medellin is code for all that is wrong with Latin America - the lawlessness, the drugs, the delusion that a network of thugs substitutes for a real economy. Congress feels about the same way- the approval of a bilateral free trade agreement between the U.S. and Colombia is in doubt. Amity Shlaes writes that a recent trip to this city found a powerful turnaround that argues not only for endorsing the FTA, but also taking a second look at the region.

As Colombia’s paramilitary scandal deepens, Congress balks at passing a free trade agreement and questions one of the closest U.S. alliances in Latin America.