Hugo Chavez defied this history of power relations in the hemisphere. And for that defiance elite voices will vilify him, but a far larger number of people will see him as a hero.

European governments are exerting heavy-handed influence through UN agencies, demanding that nations like El Salvador, Costa Rica, Belize, and Bolivia enact abortion-on-demand. And not just these little Latin states are being bossed.

Latin America is at its most divided, ideologically and in its economic trajectories. Do we have the intellectual tools and framework to deal with it?

The IMF has proposed a plan that might help Haiti build a new foundation for nation building. But if this plan is to succeed it will need to contain the global drug trade that dominates Haiti's economy.

Ethanol trade has helped make China Brazil's top trade partner, replacing Uncle Sam, who had been top dog ever since Herbert Hoover was in the White House.