AS/COA Online recaps in images the most riveting events of 2008 affecting the Western Hemisphere. View the slideshow.

Despite Mexico's war on organized crime, bloodshed continues and the cartels' tentacles reach well beyond the country's borders. As the crisis grows, so do calls and proposals for solutions.

Please join the AS/COA in Washington D.C. for the release of a major new report outlining recommendations for recharging the hemispheric growth agenda on January 13. Featured speakers include former Congressman James Bacchus, Center for Global Prosperity's Director Álvaro Vargas Llosa, and COA's Eric Farnsworth.

In a Miami Herald op-ed, COA's Eric Farnsworth examines the U.S.-Panamanian relationship since 1989. "In one generation—literally—the United States and Panama have gone from hostility and military action to development spurred by globalization and trade," he writes.

In an interview on PBS news program Worldfocus, AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini discusses what Russia's strengthened relationship with Cuba means for the United States.

Over the past year, Congress made headway in working with Latin America on trade, security, and energy. Looking ahead, 2009 holds great potential for advancing key hemispheric issues.

Latin Americans want Washington to join them as partners on the international stage, says Christopher Sabatini in an op-ed in the Miami Herald, citing essays from hemispheric leaders to President-elect Obama in the latest issue of Americas Quarterly.

Falling commodity prices and the global liquidity crisis present a challenge for Latin America’s energy sector. An AS/COA panel analyzed how these factors affect energy investment.