The Summit of the Americas will have five priority issues, but the defense of democracy should be the main one, said Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, special adviser for the event. She also stated that the meeting will be used to debate the fight against disinformation and stimulate the advancement of technologies such as 5G.
Organized by the US, the meeting aims to bring together leaders from the continent in Los Angeles in early June. President Jair Bolsonaro has not yet confirmed his presence, despite the insistence made by the US government. This Tuesday (24), an envoy of President Joe Biden went to BrasÃlia to reinforce the invitation and offered the possibility of a bilateral meeting between the leaders.
“The summit will pursue a regional agenda centered on our shared support for democracy and human rights,” Powell said at a debate hosted by the Atlantic Council think tank.
“I’m looking to ensure that the summit stays focused on protecting democracy and democratic governance. We won’t be able to achieve the goals if we don’t have confidence in our institutions.”
The counselor said that the main themes of the event, in addition to protecting democracy, are increasing resilience against pandemics, building a green future, encouraging the use of clean energy and accelerating digital transformation on the continent. Participating leaders are expected to make new commitments in these areas.
Powell, 51, is a member of the Democratic Party and was a representative from Florida (2019-21). She also said that there will be debates at the summit on how to combat disinformation on social networks and that the event will look for ways to increase the access of the poorest people in the region to new technologies, but in a way that guarantees data security, in an indirect criticism. to China’s presence in that market.
“We’ve seen a growth in online commerce, entrepreneurship and innovative business. But we can’t do that without really looking at the effects on democracy and security. Governments in the region need to make sure that 5G equipment and software don’t go introduce risks that could threaten national security,” he said. China is a major supplier of 5G connection technologies and is seeking to close deals with countries on the continent, while the US has been pressuring governments in the region for some years not to adopt Chinese equipment.
The counselor also said that the organizers are talking via WhatsApp with about 250 opposition representatives in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Part of the debates has taken place through the exchange of audio messages. “The only access they have to connect with others outside of Cuba or Venezuela is through this kind of technology,” she commented.
The governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua were not invited to the meeting, as they are considered dictatorships by the United States. In response to the veto, the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said he would only go to the event if the leaders of these three countries are called.
In recent weeks, the US has made some concessions, such as lifting measures imposed during the Trump administration on remittances and travel to Cuba. In practice, the new provisions make it easier, among other things, to send dollars from Cubans living in the US to family members on the island.
The easing of sanctions against the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro should allow state oil company PDVSA to carry out previously prohibited business.
The US government is concerned about a possible deflation of the meeting, conceived by the White House as an attempt to regain leadership in the region. Holding the meeting in the US without the leaders of the region’s two largest economies would be considered a diplomatic fiasco. Thus, American officials have acted to try to convince Obrador and Bolsonaro to go.
Throughout his term, Bolsonaro made several statements in which he called into question the legitimacy of the elections in the event of an eventual defeat in the search for reelection. The Brazilian leader gave public support to Donald Trump, who lost his re-election in 2020 and did not recognize the result, and to this day he has not spoken with Biden. If he decides to go to Los Angeles, the two could have their first bilateral meeting.
