General Douglas M. Fraser, Commander of U.S. Southern Command, spoke with AS/COA Online about supporting relief efforts in Chile and Haiti, the fight against illicit trafficking, Iran’s growing ties with Latin America, and weapons modernization in the Andes.

Latin America surpasses the world average when it comes to the number of female lawmakers. Despite progress at the presidential and legislative levels, some countries in the region fall short on boosting the number of women in office.

"There is a significant opportunity in the wake of the earthquake to build Haiti into a modern, economically stable, environmentally-sound nation," says COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth.

On February 26, the Constitutional Court of Colombia ended more than two years of speculation about a possible third term in office for President Álvaro Uribe. With Uribe out of the running, AS/COA looks at Colombia’s presidential candidates.

Brazil's Iran ties and a devestating earthquake in Chile have been the main focuses of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Latin American travels this week. Her trip, from February 28 through March 5, brings her to Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.

An 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Chile on February 27. AS/COA Online shares links to more information and ways to support relief efforts.

"I actually think Chile will grow quite substantially in 2010 because, while the impact of the earthquake will be felt in the first quarter, maybe the second, clearly reconstruction from the earthquake will have a stimulating effect on the economy," said AS/COA President and CEO Susan Segal on PBS' Worldfocus.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere Frank Mora joined COA for a discussion on security in the Americas. Watch the video.

The prospect of tapping into oil reserves has reignited a decades-old disagreement between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falklands' sovereignty. As a British firm began drilling, Buenos Aires made its case at the UN.