The Fifth Summit of the Americas | 16 comments (16 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: The Fifth Summit of the Americas (4.00 / 7)

I posted this over at Dkos, but there was absolutely no attention paid to it (the one soul that did respond had roots in our region).

"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." Cheyenne

by maracatu on Wed Mar 11th, 2009 at 07:50:21 PM EST

Re: The Fifth Summit of the Americas (4.00 / 6)

Great diary and compendium of local views on the subject. DKOS is an amazingly inward looking US blog where people have little sense of what is happening in the world outside.

The rest of the World will not simply embrace Obama because he is not Bush, there will have to be substantive changes in US policies to make this happen. Obama has already lost a key vote in the Senate because one senator with contra Cuban links was upset at even the slight easing of relations with Cuba. The fact is that Washington (including many Democrat

s) is still stuck in a Reagan/Bush mind-set and it will be some time before Obama manages to push the Overton window back to even where it was under Clinton. Those who have high hopes for a transformational US foreign policy under Obama, simply don't understand how constrained he is by a US `polity which is still stuck in the dark ages for the most part - and that includes many on DKos.

notes from no w here

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot dotty communists) on Thu Mar 12th, 2009 at 08:25:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Fifth Summit of the Americas (4.00 / 3)

I couldn't agree more with you. As I observe the events leading up to (and those scheduled following) the Fifth Summit, my suspicions grow. A 1,000 person delegation is quite an impressive number. Several US planes are going to have to disembark at Piarco airport. I posted a comment here about a post summit event that piqued my suspicions. Obama seems a Trojan horse for the oil companies.

"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." Cheyenne

by maracatu on Thu Mar 12th, 2009 at 09:15:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Fifth Summit of the Americas (4.00 / 4)

Yup. At dkos, they'd rather talk about Rush Limbaugh. Totally useless. My last diary here had lots of excellent attention. Great, informed comment threads. ET really stepped up. The same diary got nowhere on dkos, even though it was rescued.

I will try to tie my focus, US foreign policy, to actions in Congress and post over at Congress Matters, which is an excellent, serious site. You might consider doing the same. Obama's relaxation of travel and trade restrictions on Cuba, and Menendez' (D-FL) reaction should give you a way in, because that's a valid backstory of the summit.

With Brazil poised to become another economic superpower, Latin America is about to seachange in its global importance. Nice diary, please follow it up.

"It Can't Be Just About Us"
--Frank Schnittger, ETian Extraordinaire

by papicek (papi_cek_at_hotmail_dot_com) on Thu Mar 12th, 2009 at 09:24:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Fifth Summit of the Americas (none / 1)

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried to sign up at Congress matters, but something very strange happened. While it is not strange that my user name was already taken, it was reported that my email ALSO belonged to a user:

Username is already in use.
Please try a different one.
swehtam@prw.net belongs to a registered user already.
All accounts must have a unique email address.

That is impossible! Might someone be impersonating me?

"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." Cheyenne

by maracatu on Thu Mar 12th, 2009 at 12:00:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Fifth Summit of the Americas (none / 1)

so can you sign up with a different name? or is it really invite only with a veneer of open access?

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu Mar 12th, 2009 at 12:10:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Fifth Summit of the Americas (4.00 / 3)

OK, OK, OK,

I clarified the whole affair. I am apparently signed up at Congress Matters. I assume that by virtue of belonging to Daily Kos, I was automatically signed up to this new site.

Geeez! I wish people would tell me these things! I will transport my diary over there right now.

"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." Cheyenne

by maracatu on Thu Mar 12th, 2009 at 12:25:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Fifth Summit of the Americas (none / 1)

Your dkos username/password is carried over to Congress matters. No signup necessary. Which explains why both username and email are taken already.

I trust you'll crosspost here. ET is where you're going to get the good feedback and where good, thorough preparation is appreciated.

So. What's on the agenda at this summit? Is Evo Morales or Hugo Chavez going to throw a shoe at Obama? There could be some real stories out of this.

"It Can't Be Just About Us"
--Frank Schnittger, ETian Extraordinaire

by papicek (papi_cek_at_hotmail_dot_com) on Fri Mar 13th, 2009 at 12:30:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Fifth Summit of the Americas (none / 0)

I place my money on David Jessop:

...subsequent meetings will determine how the region's future relationship with the United States will develop.

One of the "subsequent" meetings is this one. Previous to the summit, there is a private sector forum.

There is also the Inter-American Dialogue 10-point pragmatic Agenda for Latin America & Caribbean (pdf). Inter-American Dialogue is led by Ricardo Lagos and Carla A. Hills and includes Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Enrique Iglesias, Billie Miller, Eduardo Stein, and Ernesto Zedillo. The Dialogue's 100 members come from the United States, Canada, and 20 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." Cheyenne

by maracatu on Fri Mar 13th, 2009 at 07:37:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Fifth Summit of the Americas (4.00 / 4)

latin america is woefully under-reported on in europe, so i'm really happy we have an ET'er giving us the skinny.
it seems the most politically progressive corner of the globe right now.

thanks maracatu!

The power of knowledge is in mortal combat with the knowledge of power. It really is that simple... That's the Edenic apple we are all munching on.

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Thu Mar 12th, 2009 at 02:38:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Fifth Summit of the Americas (4.00 / 3)

latin america is woefully under-reported on in europe, so i'm really happy we have an ET'er giving us the skinny.
it seems the most politically progressive corner of the globe right now.

thanks maracatu!

The power of knowledge is in mortal combat with the knowledge of power. It really is that simple... That's the Edenic apple we are all munching on.

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Thu Mar 12th, 2009 at 03:07:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Fifth Summit of the Americas (none / 0)

I'm sorry I didn't see it at Agent Orange ... but then, since I taught in Grenada for a couple of years, I could be accused of having ties to the region as well.

I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.

by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Sun Mar 15th, 2009 at 12:35:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The Fifth Summit of the Americas | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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