Might Cuba And Venezuela Participate In 2021 Summit Of The Americas? Might They Be Required To Participate?

Will Trump and Biden invite the Republic of Cuba and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to participate in the 2021 Summit of the Americas? 

The Counter-intuitive Strategy?  Condition Cuba And Venezuela Participation To Changes In United States Policies. 

In 2021, the Washington DC-based Organization of American States (OAS)-affiliated Summit of the Americas will be held in the United States, and the host will be the President of the United States. 

There are arguments that by including President Miguel Diaz-Canel of the Republic of Cuba (population 11.3 million) and President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela (estimated population 26 million-28.4 million; 30 million in 2015), the United States would create legitimacy for the manner by which each head of state manages their respective countries- and thus less urgency for seeking changes to the behavior of those two countries. 

There are arguments that inclusion for both leaders could create collective pressure- and present collective opportunities for each country should they embrace decisions required by the other participants at the Summit of the Americas.  Basically, shining a spotlight upon the Republic of Cuba and Venezuela to show distinctly how each county lags glaringly behind its neighbors in terms of commercial, economic and political institutional successes. 

The arguments for continued exclusion of the Republic of Cuba and Venezuela from the 2021 Summit of the Americas reflect the disagreement, though not with unanimity, by participants with the behavior of each country.  The current message- participation requires change.  

There is an undeniable attractiveness for some participants to view President Diaz-Canel and President Maduro seated amongst other heads of state and heads of government and having to listen to a litany of grievances from Brazil, Colombia and United States.  Or, heightening the optic- both presidents could rise from their seats and defiantly depart the venue.  However, a departure would deny them a global platform from which to confront their accusers and defend their policies. 

If President Trump is re-elected, he will no longer believe a need to subscribe to the interests of desired constituencies; he would feel unshackled by political and ethical norms.  Thus, the likely venue for the 2021 Summit of the Americas would be Miami, Florida.  Given his previously and oft-stated desire to “make deals” and bring to conclusion issues impacting the United States, he could gravitate towards hosting President Diaz-Canel and President Maduro at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, or Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida, where he previously wanted to host the 2020 G7 Leaders’ Summit.   

A twist might be for President Trump to require their participation as a condition for changes to Trump Administration policies impacting each country.    

If there is [Joseph] Biden Administration, he might too look at Miami, Florida, as host for the 2021 Summit of the Americas.  He may also look to Houston, Texas, and New Orleans, Louisiana.  Regardless, he and his newly-installed foreign policy team would probably be more cautious about extending invitations to President Diaz-Canel and President Maduro unless there are perceived opportunities, particularly relating to Venezuela.   

A twist might be for President Biden to require their participation as a condition for changes to Trump Administration policies impacting each country.   

United States Department of State
Washington DC
10 July 2020

The United States will host the Ninth Summit of the Americas in 2021. The Summit takes place once every three years and is the only meeting of all leaders from the countries of North, South, and Central America and the Caribbean. This will be the first time the United States has hosted the Summit since the inaugural meeting in Miami in 1994. The Inukshuk, a stone landmark used by the Inuit and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America, is also a symbol of the Summits of the Americas and passes to the host country. This Inukshuk was first presented by the Government of Canada, host of the Third Summit, to the Government of Argentina, host of the Fourth Summit and has since then, been used to mark the transfer of leadership from one Summit host to the next.

Acting Assistant Secretary Ambassador Michael Kozak, from the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Director General Luis Chavez, from the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officially transferred the chair of the Summit of the Americas process from Peru to the United States in a formal ceremony on July 10, 2020. The Department of State looks forward to initiating substantive policy discussions with other governments, institutions, and stakeholders to inform the agenda of our democratically elected leaders and advance freedom, prosperity, and security in our hemisphere.

Why Does the Summit of the Americas Matter?

Since the United States launched the Summit of the Americas, this meeting of the region’s leaders has become the highest-level process for promoting regional cooperation and addressing the most pressing issues in the Americas. Each Summit focuses on a critical area of cooperation that all countries in the Americas can support, and allows the region as a whole to work together on such issues as increasing economic competitiveness, catalyzing development, enhancing access to energy and communication technology, strengthening regional security, countering trafficking, and promoting democracy and human rights. Most recently, leaders committed to fight the corruption epidemic undermining our region’s democracies when they met at the Eighth Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru in 2018.

U.S. efforts in the Summit of the Americas process, led by the Department of State but encompassing a whole-of-government approach, have strengthened our partnerships with the governments and peoples of the Western Hemisphere region to help keep the Americas safe and prosperous.

Who Participates in the Summit of the Americas?

Heads of state and government, foreign ministers, and other senior officials from the governments of the Americas attend the Summit of the Americas and associated forums. The President or Vice President of the United States has attended all of the Summits of the Americas.

People of the Americas, including:

Civil society: Civil society representatives regularly participate in the Summit, but their role is often informal. The United States works closely with such representatives and the country hosting the summit to ensure they have a meaningful, formal role in the summit process. The Civil Society Forum is often the only opportunity for many civil society representatives from the region to engage leaders and elevate their concerns. Foro Ciudadano de las Americas and the Organization of American States (OAS) coordinate civil society’s participation in the Summit.

Business leaders: The CEO Summit of the Americas is the highest-profile business forum of the Americas, bringing together leading CEOs with heads of government to identify polices and transparent partnerships that advance economic growth and investment, including through the efforts of the private sector-led Americas Business Dialogue. The CEO Summit coordinated by the Inter-American Development Bank became a formal part of the Summit process in 2012.

Youth: The Young Americas Forum is a permanent, open, and inclusive channel for youth to help define priorities and coordinate action in the region. Youth at each Summit prepare concrete recommendations to governments and adopt a hemispheric agenda for follow-up activities. The Young Americas Business Trust has organized the Young Americas Forum on the margins of five regular Summits.

Other stakeholders: Summits have included forums for parliamentarians, indigenous groups, labor leaders, and university rectors, among others.

The host nation of the Summit of the Americas determines who participates in the Summit. Leaders established in the Declaration of Quebec City in 2001 that “the maintenance and strengthening of the rule of law and strict respect for the democratic system” are essential conditions for participation.

Who Has Hosted the Summit of the Americas?

Miami, United States of America (1994)
Santa Cruz, Bolivia (1996)*
Santiago, Chile (1998)
Quebec City, Canada (2001)
Monterrey, Mexico (2004)*
Mar del Plata, Argentina (2005)
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (2009)
Cartagena, Colombia (2012)
Panama City, Panama (2015)
Lima, Peru (2018)
*Special Summits

Summit Organization

National Summit Coordinators from the governments of the Americas work together as part of the Summit’s managing body, the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG), to inform and implement their leaders’ agenda. The SIRG is chaired by the Summit host. The Summits of the Americas Secretariat, which is housed at the Organization of American States, and the 12 international organizations that comprise the Joint Summit Working Group (JSWG) support the SIRG and the Summit process.

LINK To U.S. Department Of State Reference: https://www.state.gov/summit-of-the-americas/

Transfer Ceremony of the Chairmanship of the Summits of the Americas Process
10 July 2020

The Summits of the Americas Secretariat is pleased to report on the Transfer Ceremony of the Chairmanship of the Summits of the Americas Process, from the Government of the Republic of Peru, host of the VIII Summit of the Americas, to the Government of the States United of America, host of the upcoming IX Summit of the Americas, to be held in 2021. During this ceremony, the Government of Peru made an official presentation to the Government of the United States of the Inukshuk, symbol of the indigenous people of North America and of the Summits Process, which represents "The orientation and unity of our people towards common goals." This ceremony was held virtually on July 10, 2020, having been disseminated among the various actors of the Summit Process.

LINK To Summit Of The Americas Ceremony: http://www.summit-americas.org/chairIX.html

From The Organization Of American States (OAS)
Participants

The participants of the Summits of the Americas Process are the Heads of State and Government of the hemisphere and their delegations. In addition, the heads of the member institutions of the Joint Summit Working Group (JSWG) participate as observers.

The institutions comprising the JSWG are: the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the United Nations Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Bank (WB), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Special guests include social actor representatives (civil society organizations, youth, indigenous peoples, workers etc.) academia, the private sector and the media among others.