Name? Kamala Harris
Westphalian identity? US American
Age? 57
Why is she in the news? American Vice President Kamala Harris hosted the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, California with US President Joe Biden. As vice president, Harris is responsible for American immigration policy, which lately has been characterised by crisis. Having a not-so-good track record in her new job, a summit to promote regional integration is as good a chance as any for Harris to clean up the US’s act as a regional hegemon.
Why do we care? There were some notable absences from the delegations of Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela at the summit. Given their non-democratic governments and alleged human rights abuses, they were not invited. Because the summit was meant for regional cooperation, the Biden Administration came under fire from leaders in Latin America for this exclusion. The US needs these leaders on their good side if Harris wants to successfully control immigration flows.
Why should you care? The US has lately receded from Latin America. Many governments have grown increasingly sceptical of US leadership over the past few decades, a feeling that led to many anti-US governments; including those in Chile, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Argentina, and Mexico. More than that, much of US commercial space has been replaced by China, which the US views as encroachment in their own backyard. Diplomatic graces are what Harris can best exploit for the US to get its way. You should care 5/10.
Who else cares? Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador refused to attend the Summit in the wake of the absence of the autocracies. Although his foreign minister went in his place, AMLO resoundly abstained. Mexico is Harris’s most important partner in controlling irregular migration into the US; aka pleasing AMLO is key to Latin American migratory cooperation.
Any further comments? The Summit for the Americas concluded with a regional plan to promote investment, regional cooperation, and climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.
