Summit of Americas Offers Hopeful Future

The relations among the US and its Latin American neighbors have been rocky at best in the last several years. This builds upon many decades of misunderstandings, deliberate exploitation and demagoguery that make the family of the New World resemble the Borgias rather than the Bradys. Over the week-end, the leaders of every American nation save Cuba (which is always banned at the insistence of the USA) got together in an effort to improve things. Nothing concrete got settled, but at least, the tone of the discussion seemed, well, diplomatic.

Yankee leader Barack Obama wasn't quite the rock star this week-end that he was on his recent European sojourn. Latin Americans tend to be more suspicious of US intentions that Europeans and for historically valid reasons. Indeed, Bolivia's Evo Morales continues to say that the US is trying to assassinate him. His statement that Mr. Obama needed to repudiate any such attempts was met with “Specifically on the Bolivia issue," said President Obama, "I just want to make absolutely clear that I am absolutely opposed and condemn any efforts at violent overthrows of democratically elected governments, wherever it happens in the hemisphere." The Bolivian view was “we shall see.”

More cheerful were Mr. Obama's encounters with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez. Mr. Obama sought out Mr. Chavez for a handshake on Friday. On Saturday, Mr. Chavez gave Mr. Obama a book on Latin American history (a leftish polemic in Spanish, which Mr. Obama doesn't read). Mr Obama still criticized Mr. Chavez for his policies and anti-Yankee rhetoric, but he also rejected those who spoke against even talking to Venezuela's leader. “Venezuela is a country whose defense budget is probably 1/600th of the United States'. They own Citgo [an oil company that operates in the US],” President Obama said. "It's unlikely that as a consequence of me shaking hands or having a polite conversation with Mr. Chávez that we are endangering the strategic interests of the United States."

With regard to Cuba, the White House loosened the restrictions on family contacts and money transfers, much to the annoyance of the die-hard anti-Castroists in Miami – but they didn't vote Democratic, so they don't count now. Mr. Obama noted, “The policy that we've had in place for 50 years hasn't worked the way we want it to. The Cuban people are not free.” He added, he wasn't really dug in on policies that are older than he is. Cuba may well be invited to attend the next Summit of the Americas.

Not everything was about the United States, though. A big move happened between Venezuela and Colombia when the presidents of those two met and agreed to set up a $200 million fund to boost the small and medium-sized enterprises in both countries. The also discussed the rather boring but important issues of delayed payments to Colombian exporters and Venezuelan restrictions to the import of cars, chicken and eggs. One must remember that 13 months ago, Colombia was accusing Mr. Chavez of funding the FARC, a guerrilla group dedicated to overthrowing Colombia's government. It now appears that Mr. Chavez is positioned to mediate an end to Colombia's 4 decade long civil war. He said, “Venezuela is ready, despite all factors, to help in this effort that we believe is necessary in the search for peace, respecting Colombia's decisions and sacred sovereignty."

Most of this may just be wishful thinking and diplomatic hot air. However, even if that is all it is, it is preferable to the sabre-rattling of previous summits.

© Copyright 2009 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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