MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JUNE 21: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) looks on Brazilian President Michel Temer (L) during their meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, June, 21,2017. President of Brazil Michel Temer is having a state visit to Russia. (Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)
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BY OLIVER STUENKEL | APRIL 5, 2018
While the U.S. and others expel diplomats, Brazil’s decision not to criticize Russia reveals its uncertain position in the changing global order.
When the leaders of the Western Hemisphere meet in Lima from April 13-14 for the 8th Summit of the Americas, the gathering will likely lack the optimistic tone of previous meetings. Past summits were full of ambition and a sense that the leaders assembled could usher in a new era of cooperation in the region. Now, with few exceptions, the heads of state that will attend are either on their way out of office, struggling with low approval ratings and/or lacking a popular mandate. Few believe they can achieve much in Lima.
To be sure, the shine has come off the Summit of the Americas in stages. In the first few sessions, promoting free markets was a dominant theme. But after the election of Hugo Chávez in Venezuela in 1998, that agenda came off track. In recent years, as Latin American leaders pushed for non-democratic Cuba to be included in the gathering, the promotion of representative democracy was also relegated to the back burner. Though the official agenda will continue to promote free trade and democracy, both are now far less popular talking points in the region than they were 20 years ago.
Even so, this year’s summit is shaping up to be a new low, thanks both to the recent change in leadership in the United States and the current lack of leadership in much of Latin America.
Since taking office in January 2017, President Donald Trump has made six foreign trips, compared to the 11 former President Barack Obama made at a comparable stage in his presidency. None of Trump’s trips has so far been to Latin America. Even now, it’s hard to…
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