Unlike with NATO – where President Biden took credit for uniting the alliance when it was Russian President Putin how did the uniting – he could not even claim to have been a unifying force in terms of the Ninth Summit of the Americas. It is the United States’ turn to host the conclave.
Almost immediately, controversy developed over who would be invited – and who would not. And over who would accept Biden’s invitation – and who would not.
While the White House was very late in giving any specifics regarding who would be attending – and who would not – it was learned that Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua were not on the invitation list. However, the list of the uninvited is less significant than the list of those declining Biden’s invitation.
Arguably the most notable no-show is leftist Mexican President Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. He threatened to boycott the meeting because Biden refused to invite Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel, Venezuela strongman Nicolas Maduro, and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega.
In addition to Obrador, the leaders of the Northern Triangle nations of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador have also declined. That pulls the rug out from any meaningful discussions about the number one issue – the US/Mexican border crisis. The Northern Triangle nations that contribute hundreds of thousands of migrants to the northbound caravans arriving at the U.S. border will not be in Los Angeles for the Biden-hosted meeting.
Most of the reporting has referred to Biden being snubbed, or that he does not have the respect of many of the South American leaders. That seems obvious. He seems to get their praise only when he dangles money. Oh … speaking of money…
It is more than ironic that Vice President Harris has announced that the American taxpayers will be sending approximately $2 billion dollars to Northern Triangle nations to improve their economies under the theory that the millions of migrants will stay at home. If ever the was a policy doomed to fail, the Biden/Harris policy of bribing Central American nations to stop the migration is at the top of the list.
Despite the absence of many of the key players in the migration crisis, it is reported that Biden will deliver a major policy statement on immigration. You can bet that it will not include any means to effectively stop the migration, secure the border or to return to legal immigration policies. You can also bet that whatever Biden proposes, it will cost the American taxpayers a lot of money.
In terms of the Summit of the Americas, Biden can plagiarize (he is good at that) President Lincoln in saying, “the world will little note nor long remember what we say here.” Only in Biden’s case, he will be correct.
So, there ‘tis.