The June 2-3 general assembly meeting of the Organisation of American States in Honduras passed a resolution that overturned the OAS's 1962 decision to exclude Cuba from the body due to its commitment to socialism.
The decision is a fresh blow to US imperialism, which pushed the 1962 resolution and is the only country in the region without normal diplomatic relations with Cuba. Against opposition from the rest of the continent, the US maintains a crippling economic blockade on Cuba.
The decision also demonstrated that the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) has become more than just a solidarity-based trading bloc. ALBA involves Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines,. Paraguay and Ecuador have both asked to join.
These countries led the push for the resolution's overturning, with Cuba helping coordinate the intervention despite being excluded from the meeting.
The US had already failed to keep the issue of Cuba off the agenda at the April 18-19 Summit of the Americas, which was attended by the heads of state of the 34 OAS member nations.
In Honduras, the US was forced to swallow another bitter pill, with the resolution creating the possibility of Cuba joining the OAS.
ALBA
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on June 7: "ALBA cannot be and will not be ignored anymore."
He said that, more than simply an alternative, ALBA represented a "Bolivarian alliance".
"Bolivarian" refers to the Venezuelan-born revolutionary Simon Bolivar, who led the liberation of much of South America from Spanish rule in the 19th century. Bolivarian indicates a similar struggle is needed against US control.
Chavez said: "Never before has such a level of coordination between so many governments of our America been seen."
Chavez referred to the ALBA summit that occurred before the SoA summit. It protested against the exclusion of Cuba but also proposed radical measures for the SoA to discuss to deal with the global economic crisis. Along with the OAS vote, Chavez said this revealed "the solid political will of ALBA governments to act in a coordinated way in the face of world events".
Thanks, but no thanks
While welcoming the vote, the Cuban government was quick to reaffirm its position against re-entering the OAS. Instead it continues to push for a new regional body based on Latin American and Caribbean countries — without North America.
On June 8, the Cuban government said the rescinding of the 1962 resolution was a "vindication for the Cuban people and peoples of the Americas".
"Despite the last-minute consensus achieved, that decision was adopted against Washington's will and in the face of intensive moves and pressure exerted by governments in the region.", it said.
"In that way, it dealt imperialism a defeat using its very own instrument."
Cuba has referred to the OAS as US imperialism's "ministry for colonies". It said the organisation continued to be "incompatible with the most pressing desires of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean".
For this reason, Cuba would instead continue to take part "in representative regional mechanisms of what Jose Martí called 'Our America,' from the Rio Grande to Patagonia, including all of the Caribbean islands".
This position was supported by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa on June 1, when he said: "It's time we discuss our own affairs, it cannot be that Latin American affairs are being discussed in Washington."
Correa reiterated his call for an Organisation of Latin American States, saying that "all the steps we are taking are towards creating a big Latin American homeland, something that our people are demanding".
Speaking on Cuban television on June 4, political analyst Luis Suarez said the struggle to create such a new organisation would be the "mother of all battles".
"That is where the continent's future will be decided", Suarez said.
The second Latin American and Caribbean Summit, scheduled for Mexico this year, will be the next venue for this struggle. This summit will again bring together all the countries of the OAS — minus the US and Canada.
At the first summit, held in Brazil last December, Cuba rejoined the Rio Group, which includes Latin American governments and a representative of Caricom, the organisation of Caribbean nations.
New left-wing El Salvadorean President Mauricio Funes, sworn in on June 1, has announced his government would officially re-establish ties with Cuba. This is a further blow to US attempts at isolating the island. The US is left as the only country in the region without diplomatic relations.
On June 5, Venezuela foreign minister Nicolas Maduro said that following the victory achieved at the OAS meeting, "the fight has to be to achieve the end and immediate lifting of the economic and trade embargo [on Cuba] by the government of President Barack Obama".