Creative-i

Last weekend, the leaders of the Americas met with US President Barack Obama for the first time as a group. While no major agreements were signed, long-time Latin America observer Larry Birns believes that the atmospherics were of a nature never before seen in the hemisphere. Signs of improvement in relations between the White House and Cuba, after 50 years of embargo and intervention. The leaders of Latin America have made it clear to Obama that any future progress in relations will require a drastic shift in his government’s policy toward Cuba, and there are signs that Obama will be willing to do so. Until that time, an entire hemisphere lies in wait.

Part One

Bio
Larry Birns is the Founding Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, a Washington-based independent research organization dedicated to promoting the hemisphere’s common interests. He is a longtime commentator on US-Latin American relations having written hundreds of articles for publications such as: The Nation, New York Review of Books, The Guardian, London Independent, Miami Herald, Toronto Star, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, The New York Times and Foreign Policy, He served previously as public affairs officer for the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America in Santiago, Chile.