The Foreign Service Journal, November 2008

United States but are sometimes openly antagonistic to it. Political Washington’s apparent disinterest in a region it long com- manded and its ideologically induced inability to respond to opportunities there (like those in a changing Cuba) have facilitated these trends. The Council on Foreign Relations’ recent declaration that “the era of the United States as the dominant influence in Latin America is over” may be over- stated, but it is not easily rebutted. The regional agenda in Latin America is increasingly set there, without ref- erence to the United States. Going Their Own Way This is true in Africa, as well. Even though the Bush administration has mounted a very significant continent- wide effort against HIV/AIDS, in most respects we are substantially less engaged on the continent than are China, Europe and India. Africans have taken the lead — so far not very effectively, to be sure — in crisis man- agement of issues on their continent like the mayhem in the Congo, the genocidal warfare in Sudan, and the collapse of democracy and decency in Zimbabwe. In doing so, they have largely sidelined the United States and other outside powers. In response, Washington unilater- ally decided to create a U.S. military combatant commander for the Afri- can continent and sought to station him and his staff there. Logic and precedent supported this initiative: American flag officers now sit at the head of combatant commands in most other regions of the globe. The prominent role of such uniformed proconsuls abroad reflects the extent to which our foreign relations have become skewed toward reliance on military instruments of influence. The forward presence of American generals and admirals with transna- tional responsibilities, unmatched fis- cal resources and wide authority to draw on the immense capabilities of our armed forces makes them the most active and visible face of our As we prepare to enter this century’s second decade, we have within us the potential to rise to the challenge of global leadership. N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 47