Security & Strategic Review March 2009 (ISSN 1741-4202)

When the fifth Summit of the Americas takes place in Port of Spain on 17-19 April, US President Barack Obama's first formal encounter with the region's leaders as a group will be hallmarked by an important change in hemispheric relations: he will be the representative of one of only two countries that do not have diplomatic ties with Cuba — and the other one, El Salvador, is only a few months away from restoring diplomatic relations with the island. Behind this is another, related change: the repositioning of Cuba vis-í -vis Venezuela.