Americas Summit: Joe Biden Hopeful Of Positive Outcome Despite Open Criticism

US President Joe Biden’s Americas summit with leaders from across the hemisphere is a carefully choreographed bid to show that democracy can work. Biden welcomed the leaders in Los Angeles for the summit but faced open criticism for being selective in inviting leaders.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Joe Biden was criticized for calling Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela autocrats
• Belize, the smallest nation in hemisphere, came in open criticism of Biden
• Biden met Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for the first time at the summit
• Biden is closing the summit on Friday

Why Was Joe Biden Criticized?

Biden’s decision of excluding the leftist leaders of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela on the grounds that they are autocrats didn’t go down well with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador who called for a boycott of the summit.

Argentina’s center-left president, Alberto Fernandez, said dialogue was the best way to promote democracy but criticized Biden for imposing a right of admission on member countries of the continent for being the host country of the summit.

But the hardest criticism was from Belize whose representatives told Biden that not inviting all countries was “inexcusable”. They further called the US pressure campaign against Cuba a “crime against humanity.”

Belize Prime Minister John Briceno even questioned whether the US President would follow through financially on lofty promises made at the summit.

Briceno said they know money wasn’t a problem as two countries of the hemisphere committed $55 billion to Ukraine in less than three months. He was referring to the US and Canada.

How Was Biden’s Meeting With Brazilian President?

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is called Tropical Trump because he was an ally of former president Donald Trump. Also, he questioned the legitimacy of US elections both in the US and in Brazil. But Biden praised Brazil for protecting the Amazon.

It is to be noted that Bolsonaro championed agribusinesses that cut down the rainforest leading to a crucial carbon sink for carbon emissions. He told Biden that they did their best to defend their interests.

The little progress the US made with Brazil on climate includes Bolsonaro announcing a low-key initiative on deforestation and joining a UN pact on renewable energies.

Source:- https://bit.ly/3HacHCw