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U.S. govt's Summit of the Americas fails: Boycott by presidents of Mexico, Bolivia, Honduras, Guatemala | MR Online

  

Category:  News & Politics

Via:  texan1211  •  2 years ago  •  11 comments

By:   Ben Norton (MR Online)

U.S. govt's Summit of the Americas fails: Boycott by presidents of Mexico, Bolivia, Honduras, Guatemala | MR Online
As the U.S. government's Summit of the Americas opens in Los Angeles, California, the presidents of Mexico, Bolivia, Honduras, and Guatemala have refused to attend, protesting the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T


By Ben Norton (Posted Jun 08, 2022)

Originally published: Multipolarista on June 6, 2022 (more by Multipolarista) Inequality, Movements, Strategy, StrikesAmericas, Bolivia, Canada, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Latin America, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, United States, VenezuelaNewswirePeople's Summit for Democracy, Summit of the Americas

The U.S. government's Summit of the Americas started on June 6 in Los Angeles, California. And the event proved to be a major diplomatic failure for the Joe Biden administration.

Washington refused to invite the socialist governments of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.

So to protest this exclusion, the presidents of Mexico, Bolivia, and Honduras boycotted the summit. Guatemala's president also chose to skip the conference.

This means heads of state representing Latin American countries with a total population of more than 200 million people-a significant percentage of the Americas-refused to attend Washington's Summit of the Americas.

Mexico's President AMLO boycotts the summit


The most significant absence was Mexico's left-wing president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, known popularly by the acronym AMLO.

"I am not going to the summit because not all of the countries of the Americas were invited," AMLO explained in his morning press conference on June 6.

"I believe in the need to change the policy that has been imposed for centuries, the exclusion, the desire to dominate, the lack of respect for the sovereignty of the countries and the independence of every country," the Mexican president explained.


Mexico's President AMLO said he refuses to attend the US government's Summit of the Americas, protesting the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua

AMLO condemned US "hegemony" and its "old policy of interventionism," of "lack of respect"

Read more: https://t.co/O7bOWe6W6Npic.twitter.com/chPeIY46YD

— Multipolarista (@Multipolarista) June 6, 2022

"There cannot be a Summit of the Americas if all of the countries of the American continent do not participate," Lopez Obrador continued.

We consider that to be the old policy of interventionism, of a lack of respect for nations and their peoples.

AMLO criticized the U.S. Republican Party for its "extremist" positions against Cuba and racist policies against immigrants. But he also pointed out that some prominent figures in the Democratic Party, such as New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, have also contributed to "hate" against Cuba and hawkish meddling in Latin America's sovereign affairs.

"I don't accept hegemonies," AMLO added.

Not of China, not of Russia, not of the United States. All countries, no matter how small they are, are free and are independent.

Lopez Obrador said that Mexico's foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, would instead attend the Summit of the Americas.

AMLO's absence is especially significant given that, in addition to being neighbors with a 3,000-kilometer border, the United States and Mexico's are each other's top trading partners.

Mexico is the second-largest country in Latin America, in terms of population. It also has the second-biggest economy in the region.

Bolivia's President Luis Arce boycotts the summit


Joining AMLO in condemning the U.S. government's policy of exclusion was Bolivia's socialist President Luis Arce.

Bolivia's foreign ministry confirmed on June 6 that Arce is not joining the summit either. Instead, the country's ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Hector Arce, is attending.

In a Twitter thread the week before, Arce insisted that "it is time for the government of the United States to put an end to the senseless and criminal economic, commercial, and financial blockade that weighs on Cuba, as well as the more than 500 unilateral coercive sanctions imposed on Venezuela and Nicaragua."

The Bolivian leader added,

With blockades and sanctions, a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future will never be able to be built in the hemisphere, as the next Summit of the Americas is proposing.


Es tiempo ya que el Gobierno de los Estados Unidos ponga fin al insensato y criminal bloqueo economico, comercial y financiero que pesa sobre #Cuba, asi como tambien a las mas de 500 sanciones coercitivas unilaterales impuestas a #Venezuela y #Nicaragua. — Luis Alberto Arce Catacora (Lucho Arce) (@LuchoXBolivia) May 27, 2022

Honduras' President Xiomara Castro boycotts the summit


Honduras' new left-wing President Xiomara Castro is boycotting the Summit of the Americas as well.

On May 28, Castro tweeted,

I will only attend the summit if all of the countries of America are invited without exception.

On June 6, the Honduran president made good on her promise, and her government confirmed that Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina would attend instead.


Asistire a la Cumbre solo si estan invitados todos los paises de America sin excepcion. "El estudio mas digno de un americano es America". — Xiomara Castro de Zelaya (@XiomaraCastroZ) May 28, 2022

Guatemala's President Alejandro Giammattei boycotts the summit


While the majority of the leaders not attending the Summit of the Americas are left-wing, even Guatemala's right-wing president, Alejandro Giammattei, announced that he will not be present.

Several officials from Giammattei's government have been sanctioned by the United States, and he is protesting the Biden administration's policies with his absence.

Protests planned against summit


The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which represents 15 states, similarly threatened to boycott the summit if Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua were excluded.

Several countries in the Caribbean did confirm they are attending, however. It is not clear how many are boycotting.

Brazil's far-right leader, Jair Bolsonaro, had initially threatened not to attend the summit. Washington responded by promising Bolsonaro that it would welcome him to the White House and give him one-on-one meetings with Biden.

The far-right Brazilian autocrat thus changed his mind and decided to attend.

Bolsonaro is joined by the right-wing leaders of Colombia, Uruguay, and Ecuador, as well as the centrist leaders of Chile and Argentina.

The Summit of the Americas was first convened by the United States in 1994, after the end of the first cold war, as a way for Washington to expand its hegemony in Latin America and the Caribbean.

That same year, the U.S. government signed the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a neoliberal deal with Mexico and Canada, which devastated Mexico's local economy and fueled a wave of mass migration.

Numerous grassroots organizations, left-wing social movements, and labor unions have organized an alternative People's Summit for Democracy to protest the U.S. government's Summit of the Americas.

The People's Summit is hosting a series of demonstrations, panels, concerts, and cultural activities in California from June 8 to 10.

Monthly Review does not necessarily adhere to all of the views conveyed in articles republished at MR Online. Our goal is to share a variety of left perspectives that we think our readers will find interesting or useful. —Eds.


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Texan1211
Professor Principal
1  seeder  Texan1211    2 years ago

Gee, isn't it swell that President Biden has restored America's standing in the world?

President Biden is delivering on his promise to restore America’s standing on the world stage after our global reputation plummeted on Trump’s watch. President Biden Is Restoring America’s Global Standing After It Plummeted On Trump’s Watch - Democrats

Sure he is, sure he is.

Looks like Biden's Border Czar is doing a bang-up job.

What other important assignments can he give her to screw up?

 
 
 
Sean Treacy
Professor Principal
2  Sean Treacy    2 years ago

Bang up job by Kamala Harris

 
 
 
Jeremy Retired in NC
Professor Expert
3  Jeremy Retired in NC    2 years ago

What an embarrassment.  

 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
3.1  seeder  Texan1211  replied to  Jeremy Retired in NC @3    2 years ago
What an embarrassment.  

I think this clueless Administration doesn't possess the sense to feel embarrassment.

 
 
 
Jeremy Retired in NC
Professor Expert
3.1.1  Jeremy Retired in NC  replied to  Texan1211 @3.1    2 years ago

I think you're right.  

 
 
 
1stwarrior
Professor Participates
4  1stwarrior    2 years ago

"I believe in the need to change the policy that has been imposed for centuries, the exclusion, the desire to dominate, the lack of respect for the sovereignty of the countries and the independence of every country," the Mexican president explained.

Sorry folks - but, until the U.S. "finally" figures out that they don't control the world, not going to be a lot of cooperation of any nation.

 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
5  seeder  Texan1211    2 years ago

Wasn't Biden supposed to be the one with real-world experience at diplomacy?

Is America back when we can't get the leaders of countries with a vested interest in American policies to even attend a summit?

 
 
 
charger 383
Professor Silent
5.1  charger 383  replied to  Texan1211 @5    2 years ago

Maybe Biden didn't offer them any money this time

 
 
 
Jeremy Retired in NC
Professor Expert
5.1.1  Jeremy Retired in NC  replied to  charger 383 @5.1    2 years ago

THAT

 
 
 
Jeremy Retired in NC
Professor Expert
5.2  Jeremy Retired in NC  replied to  Texan1211 @5    2 years ago
Wasn't Biden supposed to be the one with real-world experience at diplomacy?

Sadly Biden's experience is being on the wrong side of everything.

 
 
 
Just Jim NC TttH
Professor Principal
5.3  Just Jim NC TttH  replied to  Texan1211 @5    2 years ago
Wasn't Biden supposed to be the one with real-world experience at diplomacy?

There isn't anyone presently that he wants to be fired in another country so he can't really justify using his "I'll give you the billion if you fire

fill in the blank" experience

 
 

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