Obama Heads to Latin America

President Barack Obama arrived in Mexico Thursday to meet with Mexico President Felipe Calderon, a day before the start of the Fifth Summit of the Americas.
Obama Heads to Latin America
Joshua Philipp
4/16/2009
Updated:
4/16/2009
President Barack Obama arrived in Mexico Thursday to meet with Mexico President Felipe Calderon, a day before the start of the Fifth Summit of the Americas. Their discussion was focused on the Mexican drug cartels, which killed close to 5,000 people last year.

The Mexican drug cartels are the “biggest organized crime threat to the United States,” according to a report from the Department of Justice. Concerns are mounting that the violence could spill over the border into the United States.

Calderon declared war on the cartels in December 2006 and has repeatedly called on increased U.S. aid to help Mexico in the endeavor. In a Tuesday interview with CNN en Espanol, Obama said he wants to “put as much additional resources as we can into this effort.”

He added that he is committed to ensure the United States works with Mexico and Central America to “finally put an end to the power and strength of these drug cartels.”

The blame of the violence in Mexico’s border towns is shared by the United States, as drug sales fund the cartels, while weapons smugglers coming from the states supply them with assault rifles, high-powered sniper rifles, and other firearms otherwise unavailable in Mexico.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced new initiatives at the White House last month that aim to limit the flow of firearms and drug money coming from the United States.
Following their meeting in Mexico, both Obama and Calderon will head to Trinidad and Tobago Friday to attend the Fifth Summit of the Americas. The summit will bring together leaders of the 34 member states of the Organization of American States (OAS). It will last until April 17.

This will be Obama’s first time meeting with Latin American leaders as president.

The summit is a yearly discussion on problems and challenges that all states and countries in the Americas are facing. This year’s theme is “Securing our citizens’ future by promoting human prosperity, energy security, and environmental sustainability.”

Last year’s summit was heavily overshadowed by large-scale anti-American protests held by an estimated 25,000 people. The protesters were even joined by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. In Latin America, former President George Bush was the least popular American president ever.

Obama is expecting a much warmer welcome and is largely popular in Latin America.

Among those attending this year are the leaders from nearly every country in North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean, as well as the heads of several organizations.

The only country not allowed at the summit is Cuba, which was suspended from the OAS just following the establishment of Castro’s communist regime. Former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro explained Tuesday that he didn’t want to go to the summit anyway. He said he doesn’t even want to “hear the vile name of that institution,” according to Reuters.

Still, things haven’t been all bad with Cuban relations, as through a recent debate, U.S. citizens will now be able to visit family in Cuba freely and without time limits.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez opened a different summit intentionally the same day, the Seventh Summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA). Cuba will be allowed at his summit, though it is still unclear if the current Cuban leader, Raul Castro, will attend.

Just prior to the Fifth Summit of the Americas, Obama wrote an op-ed that was published Thursday in 15 Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. newspapers. The op-ed, entitled “Choosing a Better Future in the Americas” outlined what he hopes to have accomplished through the summit.

“Too often, the United States has not pursued and sustained engagement with our neighbors. We have been too easily distracted by other priorities, and have failed to see that our own progress is tied directly to progress throughout the Americas,” Obama wrote.

He touched on several of the summit’s topics, discussing the importance of working towards sustainable energy and tackling crime that has riddled several Latin American countries. He wrote that “going forward, we will sustain a lasting dialogue in the hemisphere to ensure that we are building on best practices, adapting to new threats, and coordinating our efforts.”

“Finally, the summit gives every democratically-elected leader in the Americas the opportunity to reaffirm our shared values. Each of our countries has pursued its own democratic journey, but we must be joined together in our commitment to liberty, equality, and human rights,” he wrote.

“That is why I look forward to the day when every country in the hemisphere can take its seat at the table consistent with the Inter-American Democratic Charter. And just as the United States seeks that goal in reaching out to the Cuban people, we expect all of our friends in the hemisphere to join together in supporting liberty, equality, and human rights for all Cubans.”
Joshua Philipp is an award-winning investigative reporter with The Epoch Times and host of EpochTV's "Crossroads" program. He is a recognized expert on unrestricted warfare, asymmetrical hybrid warfare, subversion, and historical perspectives on today’s issues. His 10-plus years of research and investigations on the Chinese Communist Party, subversion, and related topics give him unique insight into the global threat and political landscape.
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