Barcelona Summit Signals New Progressive Counterweight to U.S. Influence
Latin American leftist leaders Lula da Silva, Gustavo Petro and Claudia Sheinbaum met in Barcelona with Spain’s Pedro Sánchez to push for a loosely aligned progressive bloc focused on inequality, climate change and reforms to global institutions, while challenging U.S. foreign policy; analysts say the Barcelona gathering signals a potential counterweight to U.S. influence across the region and beyond, though critics warn it remains early-stage and that many governments in the hemisphere pursue market reforms and security-focused policies that often align with U.S. priorities.
