Latin America and the Caribbean
Biden's Partnership for Economic Prosperity -- Another Summit to Undermine the Americas
On November 3, U.S. President Joe Biden hosted in Washington, DC the pompously named "inaugural summit" of the U.S.-convened "Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity" (APEP). Biden said the summit's goal is to "harness the incredible economic potential of the Americas; and to make the Western Hemisphere the most economically competitive region in the world." More specifically, it was "to strengthen economic ties to address challenges such as migration, the Israeli-Palestinian war, and expanding trade between the U.S. and the rest of the Americas."
Alejandra Garcia and Bill Hackwell published an article titled "APEP Summit Highlights President Biden's Double Standards." They write:
"These concepts may sound lofty and nice however, far from fulfilling these objectives, the meeting exposed President Biden's double standards amid new unilateral sanctions against targeted countries on the continent, a migration boom mismanaged by his administration, and his encouragement and participation in a war of carnage in the Middle East."
The writers quote Biden saying at the beginning of the event: "We are committed to working together to address the historic levels of migration impacting all of our countries." They call this "a fuzzy attempt to revive the failed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) with a select group of 12 countries that have or seek a free and fair trade agreement with the U.S. that includes Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Canada, Dominican Republic, Panama, Barbados, Uruguay, and Ecuador. It should be remembered that the FTAA was effectively negated on November 5, 2005 in Mar del Plata at the Summit of the Presidents when thousands led by Hugo Chavez demonstrated against it, sending Bush home empty handed."
The big question, the writers say, "is how do you contain the migration crisis on the continent if not all the countries of the America are present? [Mexico's] Foreign Affairs Secretary Alicia Bárcena Ibarra emphasized the importance of specifically including all Latin American and the Caribbean countries in this forum.
"Biden has been criticized for his mishandling of the border crisis. During his election campaign, he promised to restore humanity to the U.S. migration processes to curb illegal entries, and he has done exactly the opposite.
"According to David J. Bier, the associate director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, the president has put the thinnest new coat of paint on former U.S. President Donald Trump's asylum ban and reinstituted it. Contrary to the plain language of the asylum law, immigrants are now presumed ineligible for asylum if they cross the border illegally.
"Biden has also transformed Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' plan into 'Deport to Mexico.' Under Trump, some asylum seekers were supposed to wait in the most dangerous cities in Mexico before getting a hearing north of the border. Under Biden, many asylum seekers are being permanently deported to Mexico with no chance for asylum, even if they are not Mexican. He has also doubled the number of immigrants detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities pending removal, and he has negotiated deals to reopen deportations to Venezuela, Cuba, and Haiti. Now he's even continuing to build Trump's wall."
Pointing out that the only campaign promises Biden has kept are those to the weapons manufacturers, the writers say: "Biden also started the meetings with a message of hope despite the challenges posed by the U.S.-supported war on Gaza. But how can he call for such hope when the U.S. was the first country to show its unbridled support for Israel in the face of the massacre that was looming after the Palestinian actions of October 7 and now frequently sends shiploads of munitions to Israel if they ask for them or not."
And, finally, the writers conclude:
"The reality is that APEP is actually a weak response to the steady loss of U.S. hegemony in the hemisphere in the face of China's growing economic influence, as well as to the latest onslaught by the European Union with its so-called Global Gateway, with which it seeks to secure natural resources in its own region, according to Manuel Pérez Rocha, investigator of the Institute for Policy Studies.
"This is the first summit of its kind, but such paradoxes are not new. It is unlikely that Washington listens to the demands of its neighbours for mutual agreements and respect, and whether this newborn summit will set the continent on a path to a fairer future, with safe and orderly migration and real free trade among all of its neighbouring countries. At this time APEP seems like another half baked project from a befuddled and dangerous Washington that carries in it a whiff of desperation."
This article was published in
Volume 53
Number 11 - November 2023
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2023/Articles/M530117.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca