would appreciate more specific information. S.America has elected a variety of "leftist heads of state" in recent years: Lula, Chavez, Kirchner, Vazquez. The U.S has been forced to tolerate Chavez as long as he keeps the oil flowing but I read that Mexico has an election coming up in '06 and the U.S. is pretty worried about Lopez Obrador. These new left leaders ARE resisting the dominance of the West. So what's going on in Colombia? Is there hope for some sort of regional alliance in S.America?