Indeed, at the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena in April 2012, Latin American leaders felt sufficiently confident and united to challenge US priorities in the region. They urged the US to lift its embargo on Cuba, claiming that it had damaged relations with the rest of the continent, and to do more to combat drug use on its own turf, through education and social work, rather than supplying arms to fight the drug lords in Latin America – a battle that all acknowledged has been an utter failure.
事实上，在2012年4月举行的卡塔赫纳美洲峰会上，拉美领导人认为有充分的信心联合起来挑战美国在该地区的主导权。他们敦促美国取消对古巴的禁运，声称这伤害了与拉丁美洲其他国家的关系，还敦促美国应该在国内缉毒方面做得更多，应该通过教育和社会工作而不是提供武装与拉美毒枭斗争来进行，后者被认为是一场彻头彻尾的失败战争。