Cuban President Raul Castro joined a steadily growing list of leaders who have followed US President Donald Trump in choosing to send a surrogate to what is shaping up into a decidedly low-key Summit of the Americas. The gathering of Western Hemisphere leaders kicked off today in Peru without the presence of at least five presidents besides Trump and the list of cancelled RSVPs could grow. "What has changed since President Trump pulled out is the calculus about the overall importance of the summit." The summit was initially started to promote democracy and free trade in the Americas, but in recent years both topics have become testy subjects. Instead the summit has become a stage for awkward encounters between leftist leaders and their northern counterparts.

Source: dna April 14, 2018 07:52 UTC