And with half of Latin America s population under 21, the potential for future economic growth literally goes off the charts. Forty-three percent of all Americans now own stock. Working families depend on these investments, but these investments depend on international financial stability. And many Latin American economic and financial policies today are more a model to emulate than a model to avoid. But beyond economic security, Latin America and the Caribbean are also important to U.S. national security.
Drugs are a both a supply problem and a demand problem.
But we cannot win this fight without the full cooperation of Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, the Caribbean and others. We must continue to work together if we hope to prevail against this dark, evil force. My point is that we cannot stop the universal threats to our environment, like global warming, without the full cooperation of developed and developing nations. Similarly, we simply cannot address the complicated issue of illegal immigration without economic growth and cooperation abroad. And as a result, as the President s special envoy for the Americas, I am certainly pleased that Americans are showing a growing interest in the region.