Crisis-Hit Latin America Leaders Seek Summit Breather
A massive corruption scandal at Brazil's state oil company. Protests over the presumed massacre of 43 students in Mexico. An Argentine prosecutor's mysterious death. Economies slowed by falling commodity prices.
Several of the Latin American leaders gathering at the Summit of the Americas in Panama on Friday and Saturday are facing major political headaches back home, from scandals to protests and sinking approval ratings.
The woes of Presidents Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico, Cristina Kirchner of Argentina and others could shape the role they will play during the talks.
Some could simply take a backseat, allowing Venezuela's leftist President Nicolas Maduro to possibly confront U.S. President Barack Obama about U.S. sanctions over an opposition crackdown.
While Rousseff and Pena Nieto may not join the U.S. bashing, they could watch others like Maduro's allies Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Evo Morales of Bolivia and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua do the talking.
"This would argue against a summit of sweetness and light because traditionally the best way to divert attention away from domestic political troubles is to pick a fight with the United States," said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas, a U.S.-based policy forum.
"Traditionally that's what many leaders do, and to the extent that they are finding themselves in difficult situations domestically now, there is a perfect opportunity to make that case even if they don't fully believe it themselves," he told AFP.
For Rousseff and Pena Nieto, he said, "it's in their own political interest to let that conversation move forward."
Transparency International, a global anti-graft watchdog, warned summit leaders that "corruption and impunity in the Americas require urgent actions, not just rhetoric."
Many problems are haunting Latin American leaders.
Rousseff was re-elected in October after weathering protests over the cost of hosting last year's World Cup.
But the leftist leader's approval rating has tumbled to 19 percent amid a multi-billion-dollar graft scandal at state-owned oil firm Petrobras implicating dozens of political allies and company officials.
Latin America's biggest economy, meanwhile, only grew 0.1 percent in 2014. Analysts forecast a recession this year.
Pena Nieto's popularity has fallen to a low 39 percent amid a relentless drug war and protests over allegations that a police-backed gang slaughtered 43 college students last year.
He has also battled conflict of interest allegations after revelations that his wife, former soap opera star Angelica Rivera, and his finance minister bought homes from a government contractor.
Latin America's second-biggest economy grew a disappointing 2.1 percent in 2014, and this year's forecast was lowered.
In Argentina, Kirchner has fought attempts by prosecutors to take her to court over allegations that she protected Iranian officials accused of orchestrating a deadly 1994 bombing.
The case was originally brought by Alberto Nisman, whose unsolved death from a gunshot wound to the head in January sparked protests.
Another scandal-hit president, Chile's Michelle Bachelet, is expected to skip the summit altogether, saying last week that she must stay home to deal with deadly floods in the north.
Her decision came as her popularity has plunged following allegations that her son used his influence to get his wife a $10 million loan.
"That is really too bad because Chile is one of the more constructive players in the region, and yet she even feels that she has to stay home to tend to floods," said Ted Piccone, a Latin America expert at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington.
While some leaders will find cover behind Maduro, Venezuela could turn into a headache for Cuba's Raul Castro, who will have a historic face-to-face with Obama amid their effort to normalize relations.
Cuban officials "have to be supporting Venezuela on this issue, but at the same time, they want the story to be about their rapprochement with the United States," Piccone said.
Leaders seeking to divert attention during the summit will find their troubles waiting for them back home, with a U.N. economic report this week downgrading Latin America's 2015 growth forecast from 2.2 percent to 1.0 percent.
"I think they're going to be just seen (by their countrymen) as another president at another summit without an impact on their lives, which adds to this sense of cynicism," Piccone said.
Source: Agence France Presse
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