Bravo!

Each year, LATIN TRADE bestows its Bravo Award to the most deserving leaders in the region--those who run businesses and economies to benefit not just their respective companies or countries, but Latin America as a whole. The award's name, Bravo, reflects the pan-regional nature of the ceremony and of our magazine, a word that conveys a sense of congratulations and accomplishment clearly in English, in Spanish and in Portuguese.

This year marks the 10th Bravo Awards ceremony, and the milestone could not be more fitting. Ten years ago, Latin America's political and business leaders met in Miami to lay the groundwork for a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), a free trade zone that would run from the northern reaches of Alaska down to the tip of Patagonia.

Today, the FTAA's future is unclear, but the region's leaders nonetheless are in a rush to move ahead on side deals and new business across borders. Consider their accomplishments since 1994: Latin America's total trade with the world grew 80% to US$702.70 billion during the 1994-2003 period. North and South America's total trade with the world grew 69% to $3.18 trillion during that time.

Economies and businesses have crossed peaks and valleys, and most of them are fundamentally sound today thanks to wise decisions made by Bravo Award winners and their peers. For that reason, we dedicate this entire issue to those winners, past and present. It's time to raise a glass and to thank them for their dedication to making the hemisphere a better place. Bravo!