Despite progress with Cuba, the Obama administration has done little to dispel doubts about Washington’s intentions towards its neighbors to the south.
The road ahead for U.S.-Cuban relations is rocky, but at least it’s new.
At this year’s Summit of the Americas, member countries should work for a resolution to the political crisis in Venezuela alongside an end to U.S. sanctions on the country.
Latin American growth has resulted from its rejection the economic model pushed by Washington and the European Union: free trade, financial deregulation, and austerity.
The legacy of the Cartagena summit, however, will likely be the beginning of a serious regional debate on international drug control policies.
Cuban leader Raoul Castro had expressed a desire to attend the meeting but was delicately told by the host, Colombian President Santos, it that would be impossible because of President Obama’s presence.
The war on drugs is America’s forgotten war.
U.S. relations with Latin American countries, from Venezuela to Colombia, run the gamut.
The stage was set for a showdown. Hugo Chávez and Barack Obama exchanged another round of insults before getting on their planes to head to Trinidad and Tobago. Many countries came prepared for an all-court press to admit Cuba to the Organization of American States (OAS) and demand lifting the U.S. embargo against the island. Five nations that form part of ALBA, the Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America, vowed not to sign the official declaration of a Cuba-less OAS.