The Foreign Service Journal, June 2011

F OCUS ON L AT IN A MER ICA U.S. P OLICY IN THE W ESTERN H EMISPHERE Jeff Moores 16 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 1 1 ver the last decade, it has become more and more difficult to conceive of, let alone implement, a one-size-fits-all U.S. policy for Latin America and the Caribbean. It is true that the sharp ideological di- visions of the Cold War have receded. And regional leaders of the center-left and center-right have converged around a commitment to democratic practices and macroeconomic stability, as well as the belief that the state has an impor- tant role to play in advancing social welfare. T HERE IS NO ONE - SIZE - FITS - ALL POLICY FOR L ATIN A MERICA AND THE C ARIBBEAN . O UR DIPLOMACY MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE DYNAMISM AND DIVERSITY OF THE REGION . B Y C YNTHIA J. A RNSON O