'Three Amigos Summit': 4 Things That Weren’t Talked About At The North American Leaders Meeting

The 'Three Amigos Summit' took place in Toluca, Mexico on Wednesday with American President Barack Obama, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper meeting to discuss issues affecting North America. However, both Mr. Obama and Mr. Peña Nieto have come under considerable criticism for avoiding a number of key topics facing all three nations. It seems, rather, that the meeting was more a symbolic gesture than a means for decisive action.

1. Mexico's Security Problems. Mexico has recently seen a dramatic resurgence in drug-related violence, particularly in Michoacan where rival gangs the Knights Templar and the New Generation Jalisco cartels have been waging war with the national guard and armed vigilantes. However, it seems as though Mr. Peña Nieto avoided the topic entirely, choosing instead to focus on economic relations between the two nations. While tri-lateral trade was clearly a focus for the meeting, Mexico's growing cartel problem is undoubtedly central to US-Mexico relations.

2. Keystone Pipeline. The Keystone pipeline was set to be a key talking point for the summit. The pipeline is set to take Canadian oil to the Gulf of Mexico, through the United States. While it seems like the topic was covered during the discussions, Mr. Obama refused to give Mr. Harper a definitive answer on whether the project would go ahead. "I said previously that how Keystone impacted greenhouse gas emissions would affect our decision, but frankly it has to affect all of our decisions at this stage because the science is irrefutable," the President stated.

3. Immigration Overhaul. While President Obama emphasized that immigration legislation “remains one of my highest priorities,” there was little actual discussion as to what comprehensive reform might entail. As El Milenio's Carlos Puig points out, President Obama will finish his presidency with the hightest number of Mexican deportations ever. Yet as Congress looms as an ever uphill battle, the President seemed loathe to discuss any concrete agenda on plans for reform.

4. Lack of Trade Progress. Marking the 20th anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the leaders' summit, one would think, should have focused on concrete trade goals between the three nations. While the leaders pledged to increase ties to nations across the Pacific in trans-Pacific trade agreement, they spoke little about how they would overcome the various obstacles in their way, in particular the political hurdles facing Mr. Obama as his own party won't allow him the authority to seal the deal.