The fifth Summit of the Americas begins tomorrow in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The summits bring together the thirty-four democratically elected leaders whose countries comprise the Organization of American States (so no Cuba) of the Western Hemisphere to discuss common concerns and “jointly seek solutions.” The last summit, in Argentina in 2005 was a lively affair. Argentina and Brazil teamed up to derail the free trade agreement of the Americas over agricultural subsidies. Evo Morales and Hugo Chavez held a a parallel people’s summit held outside. Chavez railed at length against George W. Bush, who left early.

What should we expect from this Summit? What will the main topics of discussion be, in public and private? Will Obama change the (jarring) tone or the policy substance of US-Latin American relations? To get some answers to these questions, I asked Greg Grandin to give us a quick guide to the summit. Grandin is a professor of history at New York University and author of the excellent Empire’s Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism (available for $1 when you join PBC!) and the forthcoming Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City. An edited version of our conversation follows.

Q: What’s the purpose of the Summit? Aren’t these things mostly theater?

A: Well, they were really set up to advance the integration of the Americas economically, kind of a NAFTA writ large.  They’re orchestrated—mostly protocol, already established agreements, and a lot of photo-taking and stagecraft, but there’s some room for surprises, and for substance.

Q: What will be the main topics of discussion?

A: The main topic will be, I think, the economic collapse in the global economy and outlook for growth.

Q:  This is Obama’s first summit of the Americas, of course. What kind reception can he expect, given the unpopularity of his predecessor and the fact that the current crisis was Made in America?

I think Obama is enormously popular in Latin America.  Even Fidel Castro, when that congressional delegation was visiting, said he wanted to know what he could do to help Obama! There will be good will all around, I think, but I imagine that Obama, if he was apologetic in London and France, admitting U.S. arrogance and [a degree of blame for the] financial crisis, he’ll be even more so in Latin America, because a lot of these countries have just been digging out of the hole that the twenty year disaster of neoliberalism of the Washington consensus has created and they were just beginning to not just grow over the last five years, but actually reduce inequality and reduce poverty. Read More