Twelve Latin American presidents had not criticized the Russian invasion by February 28, four days after the invasion, according to AS/COA, writes Andrés Oppenheimer for the Miami Herald.
"[Some] democratic countries in Latin America have not necessarily come out in full-throated support of the Ukrainian people," said the AS/COA vice president.
In light of the invasion of Ukraine, a panel of experts discussed how Russia promotes its influence in the region through weapon sales, intelligence sharing, vaccines, and a propaganda network.
"Long-standing assumptions about the so-called U.S. sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere now need to be revisited," writes AS/COA's Brian Winter in Foreign Affairs.
"The US can try to compete on values–transparency, labour rights, the environment–but it’s not an agenda that’s easy to sell," said AS/COA's Eric Farnsworth to Diálogo Chino.
The gathering in Los Angeles could boost regional cooperation, if certain traps can be avoided.
Against a backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions, AS/COA Online looks at Russia’s recent moves in the Americas.
