Summit Of Americas To Begin Amid Concerns Over Bolsonaro Concessions

Leaders arrive in Los Angeles today for the Summit of the Americas amid a flurry of stories on concessions made by the Biden administration to secure the attendance of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

• Politico reports that the White House dispatched a Biden advisor “to personally deliver the President’s invitation” to Bolsonaro due to attendance concerns.
• According to an official quoted in the Associated Press, Bolsonaro’s attendance comes with conditions: “Bolsonaro said he would attend the Summit of the Americas only if Biden granted him a private meeting and also refrained from confronting him over some of the most contentious issues between the two men.” This is understood to include deforestation and Bolsonaro's claims that the Brazilian electoral system is unreliable ahead of the Brazilian elections on October 2.
• The revelations about Bolsonaro may undermine the Biden administration's hard line on Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and has added another unwelcome news story to a Summit which has already received criticism for lacking organisation and defined outcomes.
• Foreign Policy: “The problem for Biden is that many Latin American leaders aren’t buying the pitch, and expectations are low heading into the event.”
• Richard Haass: “The Summit of the Americas looks to be a debacle, a diplomatic own goal. The US has no trade proposal, no immigration policy, & no infrastructure package. Instead, the focus is on who will & will not be there. Unclear is why we pressed for it to happen.”
• President Biden will meet heads of delegations at 19:00 ET 00:00 BST and the inaugural ceremony will take place at 20:15 ET 01:15 BST.