Joe Biden seeks to regain American influence in Latin America and remains committed to the multilateralism that Trump despised to counter pressure from Russia and, above all, China.
An African-American operator moves a cart with the flags of countries participating in the America IX summit inside the Los Angeles Convention Center this Wednesday. All intermingle, without order or concert, and among whom American stars and stripes barely stand out. Hours were left before the official inauguration and in previous weeks Washington faced a testament to the pulse of presidents who had criticized Boycott of three dictatorships (Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua) Marks a conference full of urgency, more like a Cold War ditch than a summit between the allies.
Mexican Anders Manuel López Obrador, from afar, feels annoyed by forgetting how Donald Trump tightened the ropes on him. Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro questions Biden’s election and Nicolas Maduro on a trip to Turkey To coincide with the Russian Foreign Minister. Central American presidents made public their disgust at the slaps they received for kicks against their critics. And under the vast shadow of it all China You Russiawho have managed to move without major problem in America’s backyard.
“Certainly, the United States and President Biden are facing more challenges than an emphasis on regional leadership. Biden’s team tends to be disappointed by some Latin American leaders like López Obrador,” John Polga-Hesimovic told EL. Confirmed for Mundo. Professor of Political Science at the US Naval Academy.
Thus, Washington’s agenda points to two dimensions, a pragmatic one and another that seeks to maintain minimal democratic conditions in a continent at risk, the sword of the greatest social powder keg on the planet, and the progress of autocrats and populists. between the wall. , as predicted by historian Armando Chaguaceda.
“Biden wants a regional expression on issues of cooperation that links the two practical interest of the United States, such as emigration controlWho? Prevent Chinese influence in the region And regain American economic influence. these are your interests PoliticsNear Defense of Democracy as a Kind of Political System To establish links in the region”, he referred to EL Mundo.
Fear of the effects of global autocracy weighs heavily on US officials, but not on a good number of Latin American governments and foreign ministers. AC Government and Political Analysis Foundation (GAPAC) has already warned about Russia’s entry into the region, in particular, China “with its conservative ideologies and their propaganda agenda, in search of democratic erosion. The vast human and material resources of the Communist Party of China, including investment, credit, personnel training and cultural propaganda, serve to take advantage of the agenda of that country’s political elite.”
This alliance has strengthened, above all, three revolutions whose victims have raised their voices in the first days of civil society meetings. Dissidents and activists from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua are other heroes of the Continental Convention.
advance of Migrants march along Mexican highways, where Venezuela has a very significant presence, further exacerbates the crisis at the southern border of the United States. Rio Grande / Rio Bravo is now an obstacle not only to a better life, but also to freedom.
“The leadership of the United States has been in a tailspin since Trump’s arrival in the White House, and what Biden is trying to do is to regain lost space. In addition to the very diverse and serious domestic crises that align well with the decline of democracy in America, talking about his leadership makes it necessary to understand the context, because otherwise we would start with such an impact. Which unfortunately doesn’t exist.” Maria Puerta Rira, Professor of US Government in Florida.
If there is another shadow on the summit, it is that of Donald Trump, who did not want to attend the last summit held in Lima in 2018. There he raised the rest of the leaders, among whom were not. Three “punished” of the current version, although Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez was present. The first leaders of Mexico, Bolivia and Honduras visited Peru.
,Trump’s policies were chaotic, there was no state policy behind it, he bet on direct and little diplomatic pressure. In cases such as Venezuela it failed because there was no multilateral pressure, but in others it achieved influence, such as with the tariff policy in Mexico. The paradox is that while the Biden administration wants a different, more multilateral status quo, there are countries that are bracing like Mexico. Now with Biden they appear annoyed and present themselves as defenders of Latin American sovereignty,” Chaguaceda said.
Despite everything, Puerta believes that Influence of US domestic politics limited to South Florida, “Furthermore, this summit here does not get wider coverage in the national news than in the rest of Latin America,” the political scientist sentenced.
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