By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL – On Wednesday, the first day of the Ninth Summit of the Americas, U.S. President Joe Biden along with Vice-President Kamala Harris opened the summit in Los Angeles at the Microsoft Theatre, highlighting the threats that democracy faces in the 21st century. He commented: “We meet again today in a moment when democracy is under assault around the world, let us unite again and renew our conviction that democracy is not only the defining feature of American history, but the essential ingredient to Americas’ future.” Biden added: “Our region is large and diverse. We don’t always agree on everything, but because we are democracies, we work through our disagreements with mutual respect and dialogue.”
The focus during the next three days will center on immigration, climate and economic concerns with at least 23 heads of state attending the summit. On Thursday, Biden will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. His aim is to meet with as many heads of state as possible during the summit to discuss matters of mutual and regional concern. One of the major aims of the summit is to put the emphasis on enhancing and furthering democracy in the Western Hemisphere as well as maintaining trade deals that are already in place with various neighboring countries in the region.
Summit of the Americas has not been without controversy because the summit’s charter explicitly states that only democratic heads of state may attend and while Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua were excluded for that reason – Mexico’s President Manuel Lopez-Obrador chose to boycott in protest but sent his foreign minister in his place. Meanwhile, the heads of state of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador- the three Northern Triangle countries chose not to attend the summit. These are the same countries where most of the migrants into the U.S are coming from. On future plans for easing migration woes, Biden said he plans to announce “a groundbreaking, integrated, new approach to managing migration and sharing responsibility across the hemisphere.”
As the summit got underway, migrants from those countries began their long walk to the U.S. border, protesting the U.S. administration’s stance on immigration. To that end, as Biden outlined the summit goals, he emphasized to world leaders that having a safe and orderly migration is a plus for the region. The U.S. president said: “Unlawful migration is not acceptable.” He added: “We will enforce our borders.” Biden pledged assistance from the U.S. to Latin American countries in addressing their most pressing issues that include crime, corruption and economic problems. He urged governments to invest in workers and the middle class. As the U.S. president stated: “All of our nations have a responsibility to step up and ease the pressure people are feeling today.” Biden added: “What’s true in the United States is true in every country. Trickle-down economics does not work.” He further stated: “When we invest in strengthening workers and the middle class – the poor have a ladder up, and those at the top, do just fine. That’s how we can increase opportunity and decrease persistent inequity.”
