United States President Joe Biden's three-day summit meeting with Latin American leaders is off to a rocky start with Mexico and others boycotting as the Democrat hopes to demonstrate his ability to confront the economic and migration issues that plague his country.
The boycott of some of the most important heads of state came as their refusal to attend due to Biden excluding several dictators in the region. The Democratic president's agenda for the meeting, which includes a series of lofty-sounding announcements, is being met with deep skepticism.
Latin America Summit
The summit comes as a caravan of thousands of migrants was making its way north through Mexico in hopes of crossing the border into the United States while Biden was in California. It is seen as a small but visible reminder of the issues at the American border that has plagued the Democrat's presidency.
The president is now left facing the unlikely prospect of making serious diplomatic progress at a time when many of his international counterparts are doubtful of the U.S.'s commitment to the region. In a statement, Mexico's former deputy foreign minister, Andres Rozental, said that the summit was not well-timed or was destined for great success, as per the New York Times.
Rozental added that he did not have an "enormous amount of hope" that the summit would lead to any major breakthroughs. He added that people were expected to be skeptical of the meeting but noted that they will have to wait and see if anything comes out of the discussions.
Biden, during his presidential campaign, openly touted his desire to reorient U.S. foreign policy toward Asia, with a focus on China's expanding influence internationally. But since taking office, the Democrat has instead been focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which recently reached its 100th day, spending months building coalitions among European countries.
According to CNN, many key nations in Central America are following Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's lead to not attend the summit. The leaders have opted to send only lower-level delegates instead of their highest-ranking officials.
Biden's Migration Issues
By the time President Biden arrives at the summit on Wednesday, questions over the event's invitation list and attendees will have obscured its larger purpose. This has become a source of frustration to administration officials who did not necessarily expect the problems.
The protests of many nations to stay away from Biden's invitation are primarily based on the Democrat's decision to not invite three regional autocrats. The situation has underscored the struggle to exert U.S. influence in a region that has become fractured politically and is struggling economically.
Biden's Latin America summit is dubbed a "new and ambitious economic agenda" by White House officials but will not include new trade agreements. The Democratic leader is expected to outline a proposal on Wednesday titled the "Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity.
The proposal seeks to mobilize new investments in the region, fortify supply chains, promote decarbonization and biodiversity, facilitate inclusive trade, and update the "social contract" between governments and their people, said a senior administration official on Monday, Politico reported.
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