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A2 UP FRONT
Monday 6 June 2022

Biden scrambles to avoid Americas Summit flop in Los Angeles

Continued from Front its launch in 1994, in Miami, region. With China’s influence
as part of an effort to galva- expanding, most nations have
“This ambitious agenda, no nize support for a free trade come to expect — and need
one knows exactly what it is, agreement stretching from — less from Washington. As
other than a series of bro- Alaska to Patagonia. a result, the premier forum
mides,” he said. But that goal was abandoned for regional cooperation has
The U.S. is hosting the sum- more than 15 years ago amid languished, at times turning
mit for the first time since a rise in leftist politics in the into a stage for airing histori-

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, left, and Cuba’s President
Miguel Diaz Canel, flash V-signs as they pose for a group photo
during the XXI ALBA Summit at the Palace of the Revolution, in
Havana, Cuba, Friday, May 27, 2022.
Associated Press
cal grievances, like when the been working the phones in
late Venezuelan leader Hugo recent days, speaking with
Chávez at the 2009 summit in the leaders of Argentina and
Trinidad & Tobago gave Presi- Honduras, both of whom ini-
dent Barack Obama a copy tially expressed support for
of Eduardo Galeano’s clas- Mexico’s proposed boycott.
sic tract, “The Open Veins of Former Senator Christopher
Latin America: Five Centuries Dodd has also crisscrossed
of the Pillage of a Continent.” the region as a special adviser
The U.S. opening to for- for the summit, in the process
mer Cold War adversary convincing far right Brazilian
Cuba, which was sealed with President Jair Bolsonaro, who
Obama’s handshake with was a staunch ally of Trump
Raul Castro at the 2015 sum- but hasn’t once spoken to
mit in Panama, lowered some Biden, to belatedly confirm
of the ideological tensions. his attendance.
“It’s a huge missed opportu- The governments of Cuba, Ni-
nity,” Ben Rhodes, who led caragua and Venezuela aren’t
the Cuba thaw as deputy even active members of the
national security advisor in Washington-based Organiza-
the Obama administration, tion of the American States,
said recently in his “Pod Save which organizes the summit.
the World” podcast. “We are “This should’ve been a talking
isolating ourselves by taking point from the beginning,”
that step because you’ve got said former Undersecretary
Mexico, you’ve got Caribbean of State for Political Affairs
countries saying they’re not Tom Shannon, who in a long
going to come — which is diplomatic career attended
only going to make Cuba look several summits. “It’s not a
stronger than us.” U.S. imposition. It was con-
To bolster turnout and avert sensual. If leaders want to
a flop, Biden and Vice Presi- change that, then we should
dent Kamala Harris have have a conversation first.”q