Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center Deputy Director Jason Marczak cowrites for US News and World Report on the importance of the Northern Triangle countries to the Summit of the Americas:
Cuban President Raul Castro called U.S. President Barack Obama an “honest” man. Obama, days later, recommended that Cuba be removed from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. But beyond Cuba, last weekend’s Summit of the Americas largely ignored another top issue: the lingering crises in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Here, the United States has a real chance to lead. Congress cannot squander it.
The president’s December executive actions on Cuba began to address the thorniest issue dividing the United States from its Latin American colleagues for decades. The steps toward normalization with Cuba have recast the relationship between two Cold War enemies and have also reset the United States’ larger relationships with the hemisphere.