Colorado senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, both Democrats, and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) recently celebrated the final passage of their Summit of the Americas Act to strengthen U.S. diplomatic leadership in the Western Hemisphere, according to a press release from Bennett’s office.
The Summit of the Americas convenes heads of state to bolster ties and promote regional partnerships, most recently in Los Angeles in 2022. The Summit is more important than many in Colorado and the United States realize.
“Coloradans understand that the Americas share more than a hemisphere; we share a braided culture, an economy, and a common destiny that we must write together,” said Bennet said in the release. “By passing this legislation, Congress has committed the United States to continue deepening these relationships by institutionalizing such summits at least every four years.”
In the release, Hickenlooper said, “The Summit of the Americas provides us and our democratic partners in the Western Hemisphere with a unique forum to tackle the world’s largest issues and deepen our economic ties.” Cassidy said: “The Summit of the Americas is key to building a stronger, more prosperous hemisphere. The Senate reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening ties and promoting economic growth across the Western Hemisphere.”
The Summit of the Americas Act directs the Secretary of State to support the Summit of the Americas, codify the existing State Department unit to ensure the implementation of Summit commitments and work with other US agencies to ensure continued US participation. The bill also expresses support for the Cities Summit of the Americas – Denver hosted the inaugural summit in 2023 – to continue as a key element of the larger Summit. In 1994, President Bill Clinton convened the first Summit of the Americas in Miami to promote prosperity and enhance democracy throughout the Americas. Succeeding summits have elevated these and other issues like climate change and immigration.
In 2021 Bennet supported Colorado’s bid to host the 2022 Summit of the Americas, which took place in Los Angeles. Bennet and Hickenlooper led the effort to help Colorado’s bid to host the Summit of the Americas. Bennet spoke at Denver’s first-ever Cities Summit in the Americas in 2023. Bennet and Cassidy are also the lead sponsors of the Americas Act, a bipartisan and bicameral bill to drive shared economic prosperity, strengthen democracy in our hemisphere, counter the influence of China and Russia, and address some of the causes of migration.
This upcoming conference is vital for the future of the democratic way of life because it allows us to project the power of an idea – democracy - in our hemisphere, and ideas are an essential component of foreign policy. The upcoming conference would be termed by foreign policy types as soft power or using non-military means to project power. This is important because of the influence the authoritarian orbit—led by Russia and China—is building in the region.
Since soft power doesn’t involve military power, it’s not lethal – a good thing. However, it doesn’t create jobs like the military-industrial complex in congresspeople’s districts and senator’s states. So, it lacks a certain amount of economic appeal. Soft power shouldn’t be counted out in the current Cold War. Suppose we can win people to our cause via the Summit of the Americas Act, other diplomatic mechanisms, or perhaps an increase in the presence of the Peace Corps in Latin America. Can you see more young Americans helping lift up the people of Latin America in Peace Corps service? It just might help spread the idea of democracy, and remember, democracies usually don’t war against one another, or at least that’s what history teaches us.
If our current war digs in, then China or Russia might try to put a military installation in this hemisphere, kicking off a more significant arms race than we’ve seen so far. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. Can soft power carry the day?
Jason Sibert of St. Louis, Mo., is the Lead Writer for the Peace Economy. St. Louis, Mo. Email jasonsibert@hotmail.com.
From The Progressive Populist, February 1, 2025
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