This article was originally published by Carlos Gutiérrez in the Latin American media Connectas. An edited version is republished on Global Voices under a media partnership. This is “a key moment in our hemisphere, a moment in which we are facing many challenges to democracy” in Latin America. With this sentence, in an interview with Latin American news channel NTN24 on May 2, the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian A. Nichols, provoked a strong reaction from some leaders of the continent. He referred to the fact that countries such as Cuba, Nicaragua and “the Maduro regime” do not respect “the democratic charter of the Americas,” for which reason they would not be invited to the Summit of the Americas (June 6-10) in Los Angeles, California. The Summit of the Americas, which began in 1994, is a series of meetings between the heads of state and government of the Western Hemisphere to discuss common concerns, values, and policies, organized by the Organization of American States (OAS). The host country — in this case, the United States — issues the invitations. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (“AMLO”) reacted first, stating that he would not attend the Summit: “If countries are excluded, if not everyone is invited, Mexico will be represented, but I would not go.” When asked whether this was a statement of protest, the President categorically affirmed that it was “because I do not want the same policy to continue in America. And, in fact, I want to assert independence, sovereignty and demonstrate universal fraternity. We are not in favor of confrontation.” From that moment on, preparations for the Summit, which this year bears the slogan “Building a Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Future,” became a headache for the U.S. government. In a short time, leaders of other nations also expressed their intention not to attend if Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua were not summoned. This was the case of the presidents of Argentina, Alberto Fernández; Bolivia, Luis Arce; Honduras, Xiomara Castro; Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei and Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. This situation, practically a schism in Latin America's relations with the United States, has brought to the table the very raison d'être of the Summit, which in its principles seeks continental integration. President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez of Cuba tweeted: Se sabe que el gobierno de Estados Unidos concibió desde un inicio que la Cumbre de las Américas no fuera inclusiva. Era su intención excluir a varios países, entre ellos #Cuba, a pesar del fuerte reclamo regional a que se le pusiera fin a las exclusiones. (1/4) — Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) May 25, 2022 It is known that the U.S. government conceived from the beginning that the Summit of the Americas would not be inclusive. It was their intention to exclude several countries, including #Cuba, despite the strong regional call for an end to exclusions. (1/4) For some experts, the Summit of the Americas reflects the lack of integration of the nations of the continent and the democratic crisis affecting many of them. It also puts into question the predominance of the U.S. in the region. For example, Anatoly Kurmanaev and Jack Nicas, in a piece for The New York Times, point out that this meeting, which should “highlight the vision of Joe Biden's administration,” in reality “could show the diminishing influence of the United States in advancing its agenda in the region.” Andrea Sanfeliz, the director of Institutional Development at the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO), finds in the current U.S. administration “a concerned, weakened leadership, with little direction.” She says that what we could be seeing is the “United States’ concern for the rise of populism in Latin America”. Evo Morales, the former President of Bolivia, frequently cited as a populist, tweeted: Lo que excluye, destruye. EE.UU al excluir a países hermanos como Cuba, Venezuela y Nicaragua de la Cumbre de las Américas, destruye las bases de solidaridad, cooperación y respeto a la soberanía que sustentan la Carta de la OEA. EE.UU divide a los países latinoamericanos. — Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) May 28, 2022 Whatever excludes, destroys. By excluding sister countries such as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the Summit of the Americas, the U.S. destroys the foundations of solidarity, cooperation and respect for sovereignty that underpin the OAS Charter. The U.S. divides Latin American countries. In recent years, authoritarian regimes began to re-emerge in Venezuela and Nicaragua, although Cuba already had a government with these characteristics, notes Mario Torrico, a researcher at FLACSO-Mexico, in the book “Giro a la derecha.