The Foreign Service Journal, December 2008

or the last seven years, U.S. foreign policy has all but ignored Latin America, the region with perhaps the greatest impact on the daily lives of Ameri- cans. For starters, Hispanics now represent America’s biggest ethnic bloc — and, perhaps, the one most court- ed by both major political parties. Despite Washington’s neglect, the region has not stood still, growing by 5 percent per year on average, ini- tiating dozens of regional trade agreements, and luring $125 billion in foreign domestic investment from coun- tries like India and China last year alone. In terms of bilateral trade, Mexico is the third most important source of oil for the U.S. The United States exports $225 billion worth of goods to Latin America each year, four times more than it sends to China. Although Central and South American countries have started to turn elsewhere for investment and trading partners, the United States remains the number-one market for Latin American exporters. And the $60 billion in annual remit- tances that flow back to the region from the U.S. still con- stitute a vital source of income for millions of people. Latin America and the United States also have key mutual interests in working together to fight crime net- works and stop narcotrafficking. Law enforcement is essential, but it is not enough. To fight drug trafficking we need to arrest and punish dealers, but we also need to do more to reduce demand in the United States. Let’s also be mindful that the ties between our nations are far more than economic or political; they are also per- sonal. Should you ever doubt this, walk by the commu- nity phone in any small village between the Rio Grande and the Panama Canal on a Sunday night. There you will see lines of mothers and fathers waiting patiently to speak with their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces in the U.S. I believe that the incoming U.S. administration needs to remember those ties and take bold action—both sym- bolic and practical — to renew relations with this critical region for America’s interests. A Return to Diplomacy That process begins with matching American ideals of human rights to our conduct. The prolonged detention of hundreds of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay constitutes not just an affront to America’s beliefs, but a shameful symbol for its Latin American neighbors. The United States should stand again for accountability and rule of law, by restoring habeas corpus and joining the Inter- national Criminal Court. Second, America must engage all Latin American countries diplomatically, even unfriendly regimes like Venezuela and Cuba. This does not mean making con- F O C U S O N I D E A S F O R T H E N E W A DM I N I S T R AT I O N A N EW P ARTNERSHIP WITH THE A MERICAS B ARACK O BAMA SHOULD RENEW THE U.S. COMMITMENT TO THE REST OF THE HEMISPHERE , BASING IT ON ENGAGEMENT , DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION . B Y B ILL R ICHARDSON F D E C 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 39