The 8th Summit of the Americas proved that Latin America is not happy with the U.S.
The little progress on developing a concrete strategy towards the refugee crisis the U.S. is facing has the North America giant with a bad image among its Latin American peers, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit.
As the 8th Summit of the Americas took place in Lima, the capital of Peru, foreign ministers and representatives of 33 nations spoke and brain-stormed regarding improvements in transparency, anti-corruption effort, and the favourability ratings of the U.S.
Trump’s anti-immigrant and anti-trade rhetoric has largely damaged the U.S. image on the region as China has expanded its influence, as it has donated over 150 billion USD in influence towards Latin America over the past decade.
Although the Venezuelan crisis proves a U.S. detachment from Latin America issues, the most powerful economy has not turned its back on the region, as it still has trade agreement deals with Chile, Mexico, and Peru, however, with some form of election taking place this year, negotiations could further complicate.
Tepid response towards the Venezuela crisis
The socioeconomic crisis in Venezuela was the top topic at the 8th Summit of the Americas.
One significant outcome regarding the socioeconomic crisis in Venezuela was that countries stated they would not recognize the outcome of the Venezuelan elections unless democratic reforms were undertaken and all the countries political actors could participate.
It was also determined that the Venezuelan government would increase humanitarian aid to 16 million USD to help those in need after social and political collision, where people are suffering medicine and food shortage, simultaneously ramping up diplomatic and economic pressure on the Maduro regime (stopping short of restricting Venezuela’s crude oil exports to the US—a prospect raised by the former secretary of state, Rex Tillerson).
