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Enrique Marcarian / Reuters
President Barack Obama and other leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean pose at the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia, on Sunday.
CARTAGENA, Colombia -- Unprecedented Latin American opposition to U.S. sanctions on communist Cuba left President Barack Obama isolated at the Summit of the Americas on Sunday and illustrated Washington's waning influence in the region.
In contrast to the rock-star status he enjoyed at the 2009 summit in Trinidad and Tobago shortly after taking office, Obama has had a bruising time at the two-day meeting in Colombia of some 30 heads of state from across the Americas.
Eleven Secret Service agents and five military personnel were caught in an embarrassing prostitution scandal, Brazil and others have bashed Obama over U.S. monetary policy, and he has been on the defensive over calls to legalize drugs.
Thanks to the U.S. and Canadian line on Cuba, the heads of state were unable to produce a final declaration as the summit fizzled out on Sunday.
"There was no declaration because there was no consensus," said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who hosted the summit.
President Obama's visit to Colombia was overshadowed by an alleged prostitution scandal involving 15 members of the Secret Service and U.S. military. Obama said he'll "be angry" if it turns out the allegations are true. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
"That is not a failure, on the contrary," he said, trying to spin the outcome and frank exchange of different views as a sign of strength.
At a press conference with Santos, Obama responded to a question about Cuba by saying that while his administration has eased travel by Cuban Americans to Cuba, the Cuban government had not taken steps toward democracy and "has not yet observed basic human rights."
The prostitution saga, above all, was a major blow to the prestige of Obama's Secret Service bodyguards and turned into the unexpected talk of the town in the historic city of Cartagena.
For the first time, conservative U.S-allied nations like Colombia are throwing their weight behind the traditional demand of leftist governments that Cuba be in the next meeting of the Organization of American States.
Ronald Kessler, author of "In the President's Secret Service: Behind the Scenes With Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect," talks to TODAY's Matt Lauer about the Colombian prostitution scandal involving members of the Secret Service and U.S. military.
"The isolation, the embargo, the indifference, looking the other way, have been ineffective," Santos said.
A major U.S. ally in the region who has relied on Washington for financial and military help to fight guerrillas and drug traffickers, Santos has become vocal over Cuba despite his strong ideological differences with Havana.
In an ironic twist, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went dancing after midnight on Sunday at a Cartagena bar called "Cafe Havana" where Cuban music is played.
Havana was kicked out of the OAS a few years after Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, and has been excluded from its summits due to opposition from the United States and Canada. Latin Americans also oppose Washington's trade embargo on the island.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, who has insisted Washington recognize its claim to the Falkland Islands controlled by Britain, left the summit on Sunday morning, before its official closure.
Ecuador's President Rafael Correa boycotted the meeting over Cuba, and fellow leftist Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua also stayed at home. The leftist ALBA bloc of nations - including Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua and some Caribbean nations - said they will not attend future summits without Cuba's presence.
"It's not a favor anyone would be doing to Cuba. It's a right they've had taken away from them," Ortega said from Managua. "At this meeting in Cartagena, I think it's time for the U.S. government, all President Obama's advisers, to listen to all the Latin American nations."
Though there were widespread hopes for a rapprochement with Cuba under Obama when he took office, Washington has done little beyond ease some travel restrictions, saying democratic changes must come on the island before any further steps can be taken.
Obama has not spoken of Cuba in Colombia, though he did complain that Cold War-era issues, some dating from before his birth, were hindering perspectives on regional integration.
"Sometimes I feel as if in some of these discussions, or at least the press reports, we're caught in a time warp, going back to the 1950s and gunboat diplomacy and Yankees and the Cold War, and this and that and the other," the 50-year-old Obama said.
"That's not the world we live in today."
The controversy at the summit added to strain on the Washington-dominated system of hemispheric diplomacy that was built around the OAS but is struggling to evolve with changes in the region.
Perceived U.S. neglect of Latin America has allowed China to move strongly into the region and become the leading trade partner of Brazil and various other nations.
Regional economic powerhouse Brazil has led criticism at the summit of U.S. and other rich nations' expansionist monetary policy that is sending a flood of funds into developing nations, forcing up local currencies and hurting competitiveness.
Cheering the mood a bit, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced that a U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement will come into force in the middle of May.
With a presidential election looming, Obama has portrayed his visit to the summit as a way to generate jobs at home by boosting trade with the region.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Romney 2012
You really want a cult member in the white house? One with ties on both side of a border we are trying to close?
Do you mean to say that our Allys are distancing themselves from us? One has to wonder why! Look how well we treated Iraq! Do you think they are still sore that we left them to the mercys of their enemies in the middle of a war? That's just part of Obamas "Fairness doctrine" , he plans to do the same for Afganistan after all! I guess they might be a little concerned that he "leaked" information from his "secret" and classified talks with another Ally Isreal! I doubt that, it was after all, for their own good!
Lets see how weak Obama really is. Will he cave in to the leftwing US-haters in Latin America on the Cuba issue and move to re-establish relations with this bloody dictatorship of geriatrics or will he stand firm until that anti-democratic bunch of communist totaliitarians are gone....?
Will the weakness of his Secret Service and their military buddies be a glimpse into just how pleasure-loving and soft the this "populist" administration has become....or do we have to wait...until he is re-elected, as he confided to another US-hater, Russia's Medvedev?
Just counting the months.....
A Mormon to an Agnostic any day...
50 years of sanctions have clearly not worked to change Cuba's govt but apparently are still found to be politically useful inside the US.
The USA is deemed as week now it's pretty bad when 3rd world countries a few years ago are telling us what to do.
I personally think that our stature was damaged more by the secret service agent trying to run out on his prostitution bill.
Under all other presidents, we always paid our bills.
"CARTAGENA, Colombia -- Unprecedented Latin American opposition to U.S. sanctions on communist Cuba left President Barack Obama isolated at the Summit of the Americas on Sunday and illustrated Washington's waning influence in the region."
What a bunch of BULL. If Bush had been the President, the media would have applauded him. The double standard is making me sick. And the GOP says the media is liberal. What a joke! How about the other issues addressed at this summit like trade agreements? Don't you have a responsibility to the public to tell the rest of the story? Or do you want to keep us uninformed so Romney has a better chance of winning?
It can't get any worse right now for 50 million Americans. So I would say yes give Romney a try! I'm no fan of his but the presidents 1.3 percent growth rate in his first term even with a trillion dollar give away is pathetic.
buddy,
good thing we had Obama in there, everyone on the republican side said let the auto industry fail...let banking and wall street reset.... be glad we got the 1.3% (which is wrong) if we would have done it your way we would be in a VERY deep hole..
"CARTAGENA, Colombia -- Unprecedented Latin American opposition to U.S. sanctions on communist Cuba left President Barack Obama isolated at the Summit of the Americas on Sunday and illustrated Washington's waning influence in the region."
What a bunch of Bull. Did Bush fare any better? Doesn't the media have a responsibility to tell the whole story like about the trade agreements? I guess they want to keep us uninformed so Romney has a better chance of winning? And the GOP says that the media is liberal. What a Joke! How about David Vitter, a sitting Senator?
If the media were to tell the whole story they would tell of the US government and CIA destruction of democracy throughout Central and South America since the 1950's.
Turning the other way, and sometimes sending CIA agents, when the US backed "rebel" government begins executing and torturing their own people. As long as they played ball with the US federal government, no harm, no foul.
Anyone who knows of these atrocities is a hypocrite for anything disparaging towards Cuba.
When the 'people' of any country want to make a change for themselves, they will do it. No government can stop them. And if you don't think so, remember what happened in 1989 with the Berlin wall and the 'second' most powerful government in the world(USSR). The 'people' said we've had enough. It can happen in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and yes, even the USA. It will ALWAYS be up to the 'common man', and NOT the government. THAT IS a PROVEN FACT of HISTORY.
Latin America can suck it.
This whole administration is an embarrassment. The entire world is laughing at us.
Obama is a puppet that bows to dictators around the world... a lion with no death.
justified,
dont know what realm you live in, but they laughed more when bush jr was in town..... just say'n!
I work for a living... what do you do beside eat free cheese and ask for more FREE stuff?
After almost 4 years, we still have about 2 million fewer people working than when he took office, our economic growth is virtually nil almost 3 years after the 'great recession' ended (mid-2009), and Obama is pretty much ignored when it comes to making decisions by world leaders - this summit is a prime example.
justified,
i love how your type "assume" everyone but yourself is working...???
i have always worked since 14 (de-tassleing corn) and now run 2 successful businesses (1 construction 1 retail)
i wont go into the actual figures with you, because from your previous posts i see you ignore facts...
maybe you should go and read real facts and stop regurgitating stuff you heard on fox news or at that "rally" ya had last friday night!
Democrats and Republicans arguing over two parties full of elected officials that could care less about the wants, needs, or wishes of the American people is hilarious to me !
As long as we keep arguing over ridiculous things like this, the domestic and foreign policy of this country will keep on moving along as it has for the last 100 years free of the general publics opinion.
MSNBC trying to make us feel bad for "isolating" poor little Cuba. It is "hurting our stature"......among other communist and socialist nations.
Now we see why it is the Mainly Socialist Newspeak Broadcasting System.
Disgusting "journalism".
MSNBC probably isn't trying to make you feel bad but this post from earlier should. America is not the good guy and we haven't been for a long time. I am not the originator of this post but I have been trying to tell those that would listen for a long time. It is time to bring our soldiers home and stay out of others peoples business.
"We are not out to conquer. We are out to spread freedom." I'm afraid history tells a different story--that the United States has sponsored anti-democratic dictators, many of whom used horrible atrocities committed against their own people to defeat attempts at freedom, in Latin American countries for the last 110 years:
The United States fomented military coups and installed and defended right wing dictators in Latin American countries during the last 110 years, including Cuban dictator Fulgenico Batista, who was dispatched by the Cuban Revolution in 1959. In 1912, the United States sent its Marine Corps to fight in Nicaragua, where they remained until 1933, at the end of which was installed a cruel dictator named Anasatsio Somoza, who ruled until the Sandinistas, led by Daniel Ortega, overthrew him, and we all know that in 1986, as Reagan dozed off, extreme right wingers in the Republican Party covertly sent money received from Iran in exchange for guns given to Iran to fight Iraq, whose leader, Saddam Hussein, was receiving money from the CIA and the United States to wage war against Iran, to fund the Contras, which had been organized by the CIA, to take down the Sandinista government. In 1954, the United States' CIA, with the help of United Fruit Company, caused a military coup in Guatemala that removed a democratically elected Arbenz, and then replaced him with a series of anti-Communist dictators that terrorized Guatemalans for over 30 years. In 1973, the United States' CIA organized a coup of Chile to overthrow the democratically elected but socialist government of Salvador Allende, leaving control of Chile to a murdering General Agosto Pinochet, who caused the disappearance of thousands of Chileans. In Haiti, the United States supported anti-Communist Dictators Papa Doc and Baby Doc Duvalier in Haiti between 1957 and 1986, and, more recently, funded the expulsion of democratically elected President Aristide.
Here is a list of dictators who have been installed and/or supported by the United States in Latin America: ANASTASIO SOMOZA GARCIA, Dictator of Nicaragua 1937-1947, 1950-1956, ANASTASIO "TACHITO" SOMOZA DEBAYLE, Dictator of Nicaragua 1967-1972, 1974-1979, MANUEL ESTRADA CABRERA, Dictator of Guatemala 1898-1920, GEN. JORGE UBICO CASTANEDA, Dictator of Guatemala 1931-1944, COL. CARLOS ENRIQUE CASTILLO ARMAS, Dictator of Guatemala 1954-1957, GEN. JOSE MIGUEL YDIGORAS FUENTES, President/Dictator of Guatemala 1958-1963, COL. ENRIQUE PERALTA AZURDIA, Military Junta, Guatemala 1963-1966, COL. CARLOS ARANA OSORIO, Dictator of Guatemala 1970-1974, GEN. FERNANDO ROMEO LUCAS GARCIA, Dictator of Guatemala 1978-1982, GEN. JOSE EFRAIN RIOS MONTT, Dictator of Guatemala 1982-1983, MARCO VINICIO CEREZO ARÉVALO, President/Dictator of Guatemala 1986-1991, MAXIMILIANO HERNANDEZ MARTINEZ, Dictator of El Salvador 1931-1944, COL. OSMIN AGUIRRE Y SALINAS, Dictator of El Salvador 1944-1945, CIVILIAN-MILITARY JUNTA, EL SALVADOR 1961-1962, COL. ARTURO ARMANDO MOLINA BARRAZA, Dictator of El Salvador 1972-1977, JUNTA, EL SALVADOR 1979-1982, ALFREDO FÉLIX CRISTIANI BUKARD, President/Dictator of El Salvador 1989-1994, TIBURCIO CARIAS ANDINO, Dictator of Honduras 1932-1948, COL. OSWALDO LOPEZ ARELLANO, Dictator of Honduras 1963-1975, ROBERTO SUAZO CORDOVA, President/Dictator of Honduras 1982-1986, GEN. OMAR HERRERA-TORRIJOS, Dictator of Panama 1969-1981, GEN. MANUEL ANTONIO MORENA NORIEGA, Dictator of Panama 1982-1989, AUGUSTO PINOCHET UGARTE, Dictator of Chile 1973-1990, GEN. JORGE RAFAEL VIDELA, Dictator of Argentina 1976-1981, COL. MARCOS PEREZ JIMENEZ, Dictator of Venezuela 1950-1958, GEN. ALFREDO STROESSNER, Dictator of Paraguay 1954-1989, ALBERTO FUJIMORI, Dictator of Peru 1990-2000, FRANCOIS "PAPA DOC" DUVALIER, Dictator of Haiti 1957-1971, JEAN-CLAUDE "BABY DOC" DUVALIER, Dictator of Haiti 1971-1986, MILITARY JUNTA / LT. GEN. RAOUL CEDRAS, GEN. PHILIPPE BIAMBY and LT. COL. MICHEL-JOSEPH FRANCO, Haiti 1991-1994, GEN. RENE BARRIENTOS ORTUNO, President/Dictator of Bolivia 1964-1969, GEN. HUGO BANZER SUAREZ, Dictator of Bolivia 1971-1978, DR. GETULIO VARGAS, Dictator of Brazil 1930-1945, 1951-1954, GEN. HUMBERTO DE ALENCAR CASTELLO BRANCO, Dictator of Brazil 1964-1967, CARLOS PRIO SOCARRAS, Dictator of Cuba 1948-1952, FULGENCIO BATISTA, Dictator of Cuba 1933-44, 1952-1959, GERARDO MACHADO MORALES, Dictator of Cuba 1925-1933, RAFAEL LEONIDAS TRUJILLO, Dictator of the Dominican Republic 1930-1961. The United States created and defended all these dictators, many of whom slaughtered their own citizens for political and other reasons, in contravention of democratic principles.
Now, Latin America is mostly democratic, and Latinos are fed up with US political domination and control, whether as a reflection of the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 or for reasons of advancing American corporate interests. It's not surprising that the US joined forces with the United Fruit Company, which picked bananas and was the dominant economic force in Central America for decades, to orchestrate coups. Now the US demands that every other country in the America support its 50+-year blockade against Cuba, the principal victims of which are the Cuban people. Cubans don't drive 1950s and 1960s Chevys and Caddies because they want to drive cars that old or because of atrocities committed by Castro against Cubans. In truth, the United States has been the dictator of anti-Communist and anti-Socialist policies throughout Latin America to serve the interests of America's businesses since the late 1880s.
As others have noted, Cuba is no worse on human rights than China, which became our trading partner after Republican Trickie Dick capitalized on a successful US v. China ping pong match, but that hasn't deterred an active trading relationship. Arrogant Americans, fueled by the anger of ex-Cuban families who ran to Miami with the profits they had accumulated during Batista's U.S.-sponsored dictatorship as Castro and his soldiers were ending that dictatorship, refuse to acknowledge the wider role of the United States as the preeminent political dictator of ruthless right wing politics throughout the Americas for the last 110 years. All things considered, it is hardly surprising that every Latin American country now demands that the stupid embargo that the US has run against Cuba for the last 50+ years be ended. This conference lays bare the fact that Latin America will no longer be the victim of US arrogance and domination, which has not only repeatedly undermined freedom for Latin Americans, but has also brought death and terror to them for the entire 110 years.
If you want to characterize this history as evidence that "we are out to spread freedom," then you're entitled to your opinion.
Might be a little too much info for the general poster, but your post is dead on.
We now trade with Viet Nam, a nation we were at war with for 10 years and who beat us and is still Communist. We trade with China, the largest Communist nation in the world.
Yet, YET, we still won't trade with Cuba, because?
Because the US foreign trade policy is run like 5 year olds in charge of the kindergarden.
Yes, dealing with children. That is how our diplomatic relationships are run.
Is there any other country besides N. Korea or Iran which we have no relations with. Why don't we take over Cuba with our business and tourist? Once their economy is dependent on us the war is over. Can you see us getting into a war with china now? Walmart would never allow it.
I was 10 yrs old during the Cuban missile crisis. That was 50 years ago. How long do we wait before we begin our business/tourist invasion? There is a large Cuban community here in Florida that would poop a brick if relations were normalized but they are pretty old now. What happened 50 years ago with a small island is pretty irrelevant now. Maybe Obama will seek normalization of relations in his second term.
Neither Castro brother is young anymore and there is an opportunity to influence the next generation. Remember, Castro only went communist because the US chose to ignore him. USSR saw an opportunity and took it. Now? The Cubans will be open to trade, tourist, and businesses. Maybe even a new offshore banking industry.
Is there a sane reason this hasn't happened already? I mean, really?
You are right but logical thinking will never do when it comes to the US government.
Yea we supported the Batista Regime. Our dictator owned by the Mafia.
Shameful from the start.
Michael
Thanks for correcting my grammar. It's hard to express a opinion after surveying brain surgery for a aneurysm.
Cuba is one of the ideal place for foreign domestic to launch a attack on the USA With tensions increasing growing President Kennedy imposed a naval quarantine on Cuba to prevent further Soviet shipments of offensive military weapons from arriving there etc All these including JFK : Presidents John Fitzgerald Kennedy,1961-1963 Lyndon Johnson, 1963-1969 Richard Nixon,1969-1974 Gerald Rudolph Ford, 1974-1977James Earl Carter, Jr., 1977-1981 Ronald Wilson Reagan, 1981-1989George Herbert Walker Bush, 1989-1993 William Jefferson Clinton,1993-2001George Walker Bush, 2001-2009 Barack Obama, 2009- Both Democrats and Republicans Presidents couldn't come to a reasonable agreement with Castro and his family dictatorship to remove the embargo against Cuba.
Outdated thinking. Bioweapons can be deployed anywhere at any time, by anyone- even by someone paid a large sum to deliver something small and innocent- like a stuffed animal that's actually a vector for sudden death- two weeks after exposure.
It is time to give up the punishment of the Cuban people.
Does another really think Cuba will attack us?
Cold war policies have to evolve into a new time.
They CHOSE Communism, let them die with it.
Most countries in South America have been infiltrated, manipulated, sanctioned, exploited, bankstered, and generally bullied by the big kid on the block- that would be the world bank, with the United States as its local agent.
The world is changing; third world countries all over the planet are being wooed by China, courtesy of the economic clout the irresponsible rich in this nation have given them at the expense of the middle class.
This, just as America loses much of its influence through bad policy and worse ethics.
We are no longer in any economic position to wield much in the way of sticks or offer much in the way of carrots to South Americans- in fact, we'd now lose more from backing out of free trade agreements than they would.
Can you say "bad management", boys and girls?
When businesses run the country, this is what happens.
Their model is short term profit over long term viability, and it may be a fatal disease for the future of American dominance in any venue you'd care to name.
Welcome to the wonderful world of purchased politics- which is what we've had, propaganda notwithstanding, for at least three decades.
Funny, isn't it...all the banana republics used to be south of Mexico..and now, we're the biggest one on the planet.
Excuse me. I'm sorry, but I didn't realize Obama hired his own Secret Service bodyguards. They're the United States Secret Service, not Obama's personal bodyguards. They are sworn to protect the life of the occupant of the Office of the President of the United States. MSNBC - stop trying to paint such a broad brushstroke as to imply Obama is to blame for the incident in Colombia.
I think you may be reading too much into this...or not. Were these bodyguards on the presidental detail? If so, they would be Obama's bodyguards as opposed to bodyguards of the Secret Service who protect someone other than the President.
Cheney would have slapped em around until they showed some respect.
Applying that logic to the South America is already inviting a flow of Chinese investments into the Americas as well as Canada. They are buying businesses and expanding credit to the South American companies as well as to Canada.
It is important by right wing standards that we continue to commit political suicide with our neighbors until we win the war. If that doesn't make sense then you should listen to the Tea Party.
I can tell, and understandably so, that there are few Americans aware of the US federal government and intelligence community's involvement in gross human rights violations throughout Central and South America over the last 100 years.
While I'm sure that Cuba has also committed human rights violations on their own people, it's laughable to attempt to hold Cuba accountable when our federal government has destroyed democratic governments, infrastructures, economies, and most importantly people's lives throughout Central and South America.
The only thing "weakening" America's position IS the president. He has no back-bone. All he does is run around world apologizing for America not being a GOOD Communist Comrade. As far as I'm concerned the people living in Cuba have chosen to live under communism and they can die under it. Any American who spends money there - is a communist symathizer and should be shot.
If you don't believe in MY god, you should be shot.
If you don't live under MY democracy, you should be shot.
If you don't belong to MY politico party, you should be shot.
ETC.
When you claim to be an equal partner in a group, it is not reasonable to be the one with a veto and then veto something everyone else wants. It is time to drop the cold war rhetoric, and invite the cubans to attend. Is the cuban government anti-american and undemocratic? Yes, but Chavez of Venezuela is the biggest current anti-american, and also is rigging the election laws in his favor. Also, other than being an American proxy, the pre-revolution government in Cuba (Fulgencio Battista) was absolutely corrupt.
It's not their politics. It's because they CONTINUE to abuse and repress their own people.
So do the Russians and the Chinese and the Saudis.