U.S. makes diplomatic push to secure Summit of the Americas success

Only two weeks before the U.S.-led Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, the Joe Biden administration is sparing no diplomatic expense to ensure that the continent’s biggest players will not be absent.

After Mexican President Andrés Manuel “AMLO” López Obrador publicly announced that he would stay home unless the continent’s superpower issued invites to regional rivals Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela, the U.S. has been on a charm offensive to make sure that other nations whose presence was in doubt will end up attending.

Former Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd visited Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday, and the head of state confirmed on Wednesday that he would take part in the Summit of the Americas, despite rumors to the contrary earlier this month.

Mr. Dodd is now in Buenos Aires, where he will act as Mr. Biden’s envoy to Argentinian head of state Alberto Fernández, to make sure he does not miss the meeting either. In his daily press conference yesterday, AMLO said he would “wait” before making his final decision, as “the U.S. government has shown it is not closed-minded and is considering our proposal of inviting everyone.”

• #aMLO
• #biden