President Obama's rapprochement with Cuba was at least partly motivated by a desire to win plaudits at the Western Hemisphere's 2015 Summit of the Americas. But if he thinks it's going to be a lovefest in Panama City next week, he's in for a surprise. The left is already making plans to ensure the U.S. becomes the skunk at the garden party.
The current secretary-general of South America's flailing trade bloc, known as UNASUR, former Colombian President Ernesto Samper, a leftist of sorts, has vowed to make the closure of Gitmo and the elimination of all U.S. military bases from the region an issue. That should put Obama on the defensive.
The U.S. currently has a military base on Honduras, ostensibly for hunting drug runners, but also as a pacifying presence for the Caribbean. It's being challenged by a Russian base going up next door in Marxist Nicaragua, which has alarmed the region.
There's also the issue of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela — which Obama has called "a national security threat." These include denying visas to Venezuela's most corrupt and drug-linked officials.
Samper himself has vowed to make reviewing Latin America's relations over this matter his priority.Read the rest of the story HERE.
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