By Deecy Stephens Gray

As terrorism dominates media coverage and South America looks increasingly perilous, there is good news in Central America. Formerly troubled and almost overtaken by the guerillas of the late 1970Ís and 1980Ís; democracies are growing, and many of them have politicians educated in the United States at the helm.

Costa Rica, the flagship of the area, remains the shining example. Nicaragua has just elected a new free market President, a Stanford graduate, Ricardo Maduro. In the campaign, he vowed to work for free trade with the United States. The concept brings excitement throughout the emerging middle class in this agricultural country. His minister of agricultural, Mariano Jimenez, will lead the way.

Honduras has the best agricultural training school in the entire region, Zamorano„offering degrees in four-year programs ranging from agribusiness to rural development. Endowed in the 1940Ís by United Fruit, it has outlived all social turmoil.

Three-quarters of the 870 students go on to graduate school mostly in the U>S. (the school has affiliations with Cornell and Purdue among others). They adhere to students coming from all ethnic and socioeconomic groups and focus on character and leadership- innovative concepts in Latin America. Graduates are spread throughout the region in the private and public sector.

After hurricane Mitch in late 1990Ís, Honduras received massive international aid. They used it wisely. They spread electricity into rural areas, built watershed development projects and explored new agriculture endeavors such as organic foods and niche markets. They are creatively fighting their way forward. When asked, what can the U.S. do to help propel Honduras out of its cycle of poverty? The President of Zamorano, Dr. Keith Andrews says without hesitation, "ƒthe number one thing is to end dairy subsidies to U.S. farmers, then institute free trade, and eventually end farm subsidies to all large U.S. farmers. In this environment, Honduras will propel itself into a 21st century prosperity an ongoing democracy."

El Salvador is on an even faster track toward first world status. Two years into his administration, President Flores has instituted reform upon reform; the motto of his administration is "judge us by the results." His major stated objective is to fight poverty. Half way through his term he has accomplished much, but there is more to do. Among the positives, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan will be coming this year to celebrate ten years of peace in the region. This decade of peace has led toward the country being fourth in Latin American growth, the third lowest in inflation. The foreign minister, Maria Eugenia Bizueia De Avila, proudly points out that the Wall Street Journal has named her country the 12th freest country in the world. Free trade, low taxes and dollarization, she says, will lead the way.

El Salvador also has a new Ministry Environmental Protection, headed by another woman, Ann Maria Guerrero Majano, who holds a doctorate from University of Tennessee. Rejecting the old command and control model that mired environmental protection in some advanced countries, she is looking instead at public/private partnerships to accomplish better results in a 21st century way. One example is he new deep water port that they are developing with Japanese help. This will combine smart environmentalism and good business.

So is there anything holding El Salvador and Honduras back? According to them, years of lack of affordable education, lack of regional integration (a polite word for border disputes) and the lack political continuity. Education is improving; border problems still fester. Political continuity is happening election by election.

According to Latin American experts U.S., two other areas need addressing. First there are judicial problems. The judiciary has been plagued by corruption, and often "the rule of law" is non-existent. Both countries are addressing this by appointing new judges whose terms will no longer coordinate with elected leadership. It is interesting to note the that nine of HondurasÍ newly appointed justices are women. Another major part of the judicial problem is the lack of property rights. There is often no way to get a clear deed of title to a property. Both countries are beginning to realize that n one will build theirs to convey. Lastly, lawyers are pessimistic about attracting the "best and the brightest" to their profession. They say they need someone young with success in law to inspire youth to enter their profession. They relish President BushÍs nomination of Honduran born Miguel Estrada to the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia s an important helpful step.

Second, too often those in positions of power and affluence do not have a sense of social responsibility. They will give to the Church, but the Church alone. Too often no one gives to their university, a museum, hospital or a charity and few volunteer their time.

Volunteerism through the Peace Corps has set an example. ZamoranoÍs fieldwork and student initiatives has continued it. The Fudem eye clinics, established by Women of Western Hemisphere, combining U.S. women and local women, has made more than a dent in communities where there are few examples of a starting trend.

If the reforms progress and favorable trends continue, nothing will hold this hard-working region back. All the Americas will be the better if the Central American countries set good examples for their North American neighbors. They are.

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Deecy Stephens Gray is President of D.C. Stephens Ltd., a public relations firm in Washington, D.C. and she serves on the board of directors at Frontiers of Freedom, a non-profit, non-partisan public policy institute dedicated to protecting the constitutional rights of all Americans and restoring constitutional limits on the extent and power of government.