Obama Drama:
The U.S. President in the Summit Spotlight

By Bille Anthony Sinclair

His arrival in Port of Spain couldn’t have been more momentous or controversial. From the landing of Air Force One on April 17, 2009—amid flashing cameras, cheering crowds, and a battalion of diplomatic operatives—President Barack Obama, waving to the throng, soon became the story at the 5th Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.

During his address at the conference—endorsed by the Organization of American States (OAS)—President Obama signaled a fresh reversal of U.S. imperatives in the region. The Summit theme, “Securing Our Citizens Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy, Security, and Environmental Sustainability,” was on point and set the right tone.

Indeed, with leaders inhaling every word of the newly minted U.S. President’s address, Obama indicated a seismic shift from the Bush Administration’s adverse U.S. geopolitical diplomatic initiatives, and its somewhat chauvinistic, sterile non-cooperation within Latin America and the Caribbean. While speaking about not being “prisoners of past disagreements,” Obama talked of the U.S. as an equal partner with all nations of the region and finding common ground for progress.

Clearly, President Obama sought to usher in a new era of mutual trust and friendship on thorny matters such as: trade, the financial crisis, tourism, economic development, the drug trade, weapons flow, the global climate chaos, and technology sharing.

However, the one burning issue that spiked the heat within the conference and crystallized the focus of the leaders, diplomats, and swarming media personalities was the issue of U.S.-Cuba relations and the specter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Cuba, banned from membership in the OAS since 1962, as a U.S. backed anti-Castro mechanism, has festered in the souls of many nations with the region. With the rise in prominence of the Venezuelan strongman, Chavez—a close friend and political ally of the Castro government—a long, loud cry for a major revision of U.S. policy toward Cuba has been sounded within the region, and Chavez is the most booming, anti-American voice.

Given this backdrop, President Obama entered this fray in the arena at the 5th Summit. The U.S. President, seeking to thaw the frozen landscape within the Cuba/Venezuela and U.S. triangle, approached Chavez shook hands with him and exchanged pleasantries. Later, Chavez returned the gesture by presenting Obama with a gift, in the form of a book—“Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent.” Cuban President, Raul Castro, contributed to the sudden flurry of goodwill by offering to put everything on the table with regard to the stalemate (U.S. concerns about human rights, political prisoners in Cuba, etc.) that has blunted the conversation on lifting the embargo. Earlier that week, Obama set a positive note by lifting travel restrictions and providing favorable payment/money transfer arrangements for Cuban-Americans.

The widely reported Obama-Chavez handshake “ heard ‘round the world,” was enthusiastically applauded by the membership and some observers in the U.S., but was questioned by some in the media and garnered much criticism by American conservatives as the act of a weak, inexperienced Obama pandering to the “South American thug,” and “hate monger” Chavez. The Venezuelan President, known for his anti-American rhetoric, has no shortage of enemies within the U.S.

Despite the combative climate, attendees were willing to give Obama a hearing and access to the tangible steps— if any—the U.S. planned to orchestrate to show his willingness to initiate an atmospheric change in the discourse on Cuba and a host of other contentious regional items. Even though the members encouraged a full lifting of the Cuban embargo, they were pleased when Obama admitted past U.S. mistakes, an intent to clean the slate with mutual respect, and go forward.

Ultimately, Obama concluded his participation at the conference with a program toward resolving the long-standing rift between the U.S. and the OAS. Talks between the U.S. and Cuba, although problematic and somewhat constrained, are set to kick-off discussions on a full lift of the Cuban embargo. Further, Venezuela and the U.S. have agreed to an exchange of ambassadors.

Questions persist concerning Obama’s political will to jumpstart the healing of wounds. Whether the parties can dance to the same music remains to be seen, but nothing will occur until somebody decides to play the music.

(Bille Anthony Sinclair is a contributor to Island Vibes Magazine. For comments, please feel free to contact him at bille@islandvibesmag.com.)