Joseph S. Tulchin of Foreign Policy magazine has written an insightful piece on the power of Hugo Chavez in his nation of Venezuela, and the power of his nation in contemporary geo-politics. For the Summit of the Americas to be a stepping stone for US-Latin American relations and indeed equate to increased investment, President Obama must address the qualms from one of the loudest Latin American voices out there and come up with an appropriate example of his vision of a “reset” button between Venezuela and the US:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on April 4 that he would like to reset the U.S.-Venezuelan relationship. (Since Fidel Castro, Chavez’s mentor, declared his willingness to open a dialogue with the United States over recent weeks, Chavez could do no less.) But what exactly would a reset look like?

Hitting the reset button, distasteful though it may seem, would be a smart move. If Obama doesn’t proactively work to defuse tensions, Chavez and his big mouth could be tempted to cause trouble, especially for U.S. allies such as Chile, Colombia, and Brazil. In that respect, he could hamper progress on arguably more important regional issues, such as the economy, Mexico, or Cuba.

There are a few bilateral disputes that remain unresolved. Venezuela, for example, wants the United States to turn over Luis Posada Carriles, the Cuban-Venezuelan who masterminded the bombing of a Cuban airliner in 1976. Several U.S. companies allegedly owe back taxes to Caracas and have taken the matter to international courts.

Small steps might be the best way to begin. The United States, for example, could promise to turn over all but the Posada case to the Organization of American States to moderate, a gesture that would signal to Latin America that the Obama administration is serious about multilateralism. Reinstating direct U.S. diplomatic representation in Caracas would also open doors, and the ongoing trade in oil and gas could form the cornerstone of productive new ties.

Even a photo op between Obama and Chavez might get the ball rolling. A follow-up conversation between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon and a Venezuelan counterpart would be an added bonus. Obama doesn’t have to hit it off with Chavez. He just has to make sure the Venezuelan leader doesn’t have an excuse to interrupt the real work of the summit.