The AS/COA Energy Action Group hosted a panel on energy and climate change in the Western Hemisphere. Following the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago in April and in advance of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.
Foreign Relations
President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad canceled his trip this week to Brazil, Venezuela, and Ecuador. Still, Tehran's deepening ties raise questions about Iranian relations with Latin America.
OAS Secretary-General José Miguel Insulza joined AS/COA Online for an interview about the recent Summit of the Americas, from negotiating mandates to carrying them out at June's General Assembly in Honduras. He also offered his view on the process for Cuba to rejoin the OAS.
COA hosted a discussion with the World Bank's Pamela Cox about the role of commodities in the region’s economic profile and future. Read a summary of the program.
For all the talk about Cuba and Venezuela, leaders moved forward on other fronts as well during the weekend's Summit of the Americas. On the sidelines, U.S. President Barack Obama signaled action on a trade pact with Colombia and a hemispheric clean-energy partnership.
Thirty-four leaders come together this weekend in Port of Prince for the Summit of the Americas, when U.S. President Obama makes his debut on the hemispheric stage. Prosperity, energy, and climate change are on the agenda, but subplots have developed.
AS/COA hosted a joint program preceding U.S. President Barack Obama’s meeting with Mexican President Calderón in Mexico and the upcoming Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. The panelists expressed hope the gathering will serve to redefine relations within the hemisphere.