The FARC has proposed a constituent assembly as one of their ten “minimal proposals’ to come to an agreement on the FARC’s political participation, one of five talking points that — if and once agreed — would end the guerrilla organization’s 50-year war against the state.

For many Brazilians, the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the 2016 summer Olympics have amplified the malady of corruption. And while FIFA was quick to defend the Brazilian government for its World Cup preparations, one result of the protests will likely be an unspoken coordination between the world’s two most powerful sporting organizations so that no country can simultaneously prepare to host both events in the foreseeable future.

On May 30, the State Department submitted its annual report on terrorism (“Country Reports on Terrorism 2012”) to Congress, notably maintaining Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism along with Iran, Sudan, and Syria. Cuba was designated as a state sponsor of terrorism on March 1, 1982. It has remained ever since on the list of states that Washington accuses of repeatedly providing support for international acts of terrorism.

If freedom, democracy and the rule of law are universal, Latin America can and must benefit from the regeneration of the Trans-Atlantic bond. If this does not happen, other models will spread, giving precedence to mercantilism and state capitalism. The news that Nicaragua has awarded China a 40 billion dollar contract to build a new canal across the straits confirms this country's increasingly important role in regional politics.

However, the United States is not currently in the best position to press these agendas due to Washington’s own flawed human rights record in Latin America and its age-old, persistent tendencies to try to dominate OAS machinery. Generating progress on issues ranging from corruption to drug-related violence at the OAS requires consistently investing political capital, which calls for vocalizing greater prioritization of the organization and demonstrating an eagerness to work in equal partnership with rising hemispheric powers.

Mexicans are much more likely to have a degree before going north than they were seven years ago, and the number of years of schooling of 15-19-year-olds is now pretty similar to that in United States. If more educated workers emigrate, it raises their earning capacity, which gives them and their families even more chance of rising up the ranks of the middle class when they and the money flow back to Mexico. In which case, even fewer will need to go to el Norte. That is real progress.

"Soccer is one of the passion points for the Caribbean and Hispanic community and the launch of Phoenix Stadium is the perfect centerpiece for Diasporta. When complete, the project will increase access to play and education for Haitian youth, and be a great example of solidarity in the Americas," says Stephen Keppel , Director of Empowerment Initiatives, Univision Network News.

This month, the Brazilian government announced plans to employ some 6,000 Cuban doctors as part of an effort to strengthen Brazil-Cuba bilateral ties. In an email interview, John M. Kirk, a professor at Canada’s Dalhousie University...explained the history of Cuba’s medical diplomacy and its importance to Cuba’s slowly reforming economy.