Governing the Americas presents the first systematic assessment of the functioning of hemispheric institutions since the introduction of the Summit of the Americas process in 1994. The authors evaluate the effectiveness of inter-American institutions with regard to core issues of democratic governance, security, trade, and economic development. They consider, as well, the impact of the profusion of multilateral institutions on the coordination and efficiency of hemispheric cooperation. Exploring why some multilateral efforts have worked while others have been more problematic, they also offer a reasoned assessment of the future of inter-American cooperation. This is the first systematic assessment of the functioning of inter-American institutions - in the areas of democratic governance, security, trade, and economic development - since the introduction of the Summit of the Americas process in 1994.