Everything you need to know about the North American Leaders' Summit
Tensions between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are high. Will the 'Three Amigos' summit help?
President Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador meet Jan. 9 and 10, 2023, at the North American Leaders' Summit (NALS) in Mexico City. Here's everything you need to know about the summit:
What is the North American Leaders' Summit?
The NALS is the convening of the leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It is sometimes called the "Three Amigos" summit, referring to the "deep diplomatic and economic ties" between the nations, The Associated Press says. The meeting usually happens every year, but was put on pause during Donald Trump's presidency. At the meeting, the three heads of government will discuss trilateral issues that bind their nations, and try to resolve both lingering and emerging points of tension.
"We have a big agenda that ranges from the climate crisis to economic development and other issues," Biden said in a speech.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What are the main issues on the table?
The North American economy will be top of mind. "The pandemic and ongoing supply chain issues were a real wake-up call that the U.S. and its neighbors were too dependent on China,"
says NPR's Tamara Keith. "So part of what they're doing this week is setting the groundwork for these three nations to work together to bring back some of this manufacturing."
Concerns are growing over López Obrador's energy policies, which give control of the market to cash-strapped state energy companies. López Obrador claims the move is corrective, because prior governments "skewed the market in favor of private capital," Reuters explains. But the U.S. and Canada say the rules discriminate against their companies. López Obrador has made the policy "a cornerstone" of his presidency, Reuters adds, "making it hard for him to back down."
Trade tensions "will be the elephant in the room," Ryan Berg, the director of the Americas program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, tells NBC News. Mexico has floated a potential ban on imports of genetically-modified corn seeds from the U.S., which López Obrador claims are "a threat to [Mexico's] own ancient native corn varieties," BBC says. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has threatened legal action against the proposed ban.
Drug cartels will be a topic of discussion, too, as America continues to grapple with its opioid crisis. The synthetic opioid fentanyl, much of which comes into the country via Mexican drug cartels, was responsible for approximately two-thirds of U.S. overdose deaths in 2021. "We're going to continue to work with them in lockstep to see what we can do jointly to try to limit that flow," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.
U.S.-Mexico border tensions will "cast a long shadow" over the summit, says Politico. Biden recently expanded the Trump administration's pandemic-era Title 42 rule, which allows border agents to turn away asylum seekers, many of which then get expelled to Mexico.
Will progress be made?
"Signs of strain" are already showing, NPR's Keith says, adding that Biden and López Obrador "exchanged barbs of disagreement" as the summit began. Indeed, tensions "are already high and could sharpen," says Jake Colvin, president of the Washington-based National Foreign Trade Council.
Still, there's some cause for optimism. On trade tensions, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters there were "potential pathways forward. He added that Biden thinks he will secure "commitments for stronger cooperation" to tackle the fentanyl crisis. Regarding the energy spat, Trudeau was "confident of making progress," Reuters reports.
"There's no obvious deal that satisfies all of their domestic interests," says Christopher Landau, U.S. ambassador to Mexico under former President Donald Trump, "but I think it's in all their domestic interest to say they get along."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
The Onion is having a very ironic laugh with Infowars
The Explainer The satirical newspaper is purchasing the controversial website out of bankruptcy
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'Rahmbo, back from Japan, will be looking for a job? Really?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What's next for electric vehicles under Trump?
Today's Big Question And what does that mean for Tesla's Elon Musk?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Team of bitter rivals
Opinion Will internal tensions tear apart Trump's unlikely alliance?
By Theunis Bates Published
-
'We could face disaster in the near future'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'There are benefits, but not acknowledging them would tell only half of the story'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Canada accuses top Modi ally of directing Sikh attacks
Speed Read Indian Home Minister Amit Shah was allegedly behind a campaign of violence and intimidation targeting Sikh separatists
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hostage taking didn't start on Oct. 7
Opinion It was always at the center of Iran's project to topple American power
By Mark Gimein Published
-
Canada and India expel top diplomats in growing rift
Speed Read Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there is 'clear and compelling evidence' of crimes
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
India and Canada expel diplomats amid murder row
Speed Read New Delhi denies allegations linking Indian intelligence services to assassination of Sikh separatist last year
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
The CIA is openly recruiting foreign spies in other countries
In the Spotlight The agency is posting instructions in multiple languages for people to contact them
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published