Bush Arrives for Hemispheric Summit, Planning to Pitch Free Trade

Bush Arrives for Hemispheric Summit, Planning to Pitch Free Trade:

"The fourth Summit of the Americas was to open Friday under tight security. Thousands of police officers were stationed behind barricades that cordoned off large sections of this city, as officials sought to prevent the two-day meeting from being overwhelmed by demonstrations...........
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But that message was at odds with the sentiment in much of Latin America, where millions of people have yet to realize the promised benefits of democracy and free trade.

Across the region, half a dozen populist leaders have been elected in recent years, often supported by constituencies that blame U.S.-backed economic policies, private investment and international trade as sources of continued poverty and widening income disparities."