Going to Cuba!

At some point in my lifetime- it's looking more likely after this weekend!

Seriously, though... it sounds as though the Summit of the Americas was as successful as can be. The United States doesn't exactly have a beautiful relationship with many Latin American countries- hay mucho espacio for improvement. The New York Times nicely summarizes:

"The antagonism seemed to melt away, replaced by a palpable enthusiasm for a new openness from the United States and hopes of improved relations for Washington with Venezuela and Cuba, which emerged as a core issue here" (read the rest of the article here).

Nearing two years of residence here in South America, I've experienced quite the anti-americanism, most of it quite deserved. I remember my favorite anthropology professor, on the first day of our Latino Culture class, prefaced a brief history of U.S.-Latin American relations by saying "It's kind of impossible to teach this material without sounding like a radical anarchist who is incredibly biased against the U.S. government". It's true... the U.S. has done some really shady business in Latin America, and we tend to treat its various countries less like our neighbors and more like a way to get something we need. As both a latino and Obama aficionado, I would love nothing more than to see our relationships improve during the next few years. It's hard to erase centuries of subordination and exploitation, but maybe we could get to the point where it's not inevitable that every major city south of Texas will in some corner (dark or not) have graffiti that reads something along the lines of "FUCK USA".

I don't like to get too controversial on the blog, but I would also like to say that I'm really unimpressed with the criticism of President Obama and his friendly handshake with President Hugo Chavez. I mean... really. Isn't the silent treatment reserved for fourteen year old girls mad at their parents? In my experience, it's incredibly ineffective, and at times even counterproductive. We don't have to reinstate our embassy in Venezuela tomorrow, but I think- no, I know- that a smile and a handshake goes a long way.

Hope everyone had a great weekend... Happy Monday!