...The attitude of the United States needs to change too. Worries about crime and migration- symbolized by the wall it is building across its southern border- are leading it to focus on the risks in its relationship with the neighbours more than on the opportunities. This is both odd, given that Latinos are already the second-largest ethnic group north of the border, and self-defeating: the more open the Unites States is towards Latin America, the greater the chances of creating the prosperity which in the end is the best protection against conflict and disorder. After two centuries of lagging behind, the southern and central parts of the Americas are at last fulfilling their potential. To help cement that success, their northern cousins should build bridges, not walls.

From "Nobody's Backyard", The Economist, Sept. 2010