Juanson World

Marcela Sanchez's online column today illustrates why I wish the Post was able to publish her more often in print. She deftly analyzes recent transitions at the State Department in high level Western Hemisphere positions.

First of all, Sanchez lauds the creation of the new "Cuba transition coordinator," as it will "absorb the pressures that Cuban-American constituents place on the administration." Indeed, US foreign policy in the region has been almost exclusively focused on Cuba from an electoral politics perspective. Bush's initial appointments reflect this obsession with pandering to the anti-Castro South Floridians:

Some may remember Otto J. Reich, Bush's first nominee for assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs. The Cuban exile is a one-issue man and, like Bolton, received a temporary recess appointment after fierce congressional opposition to his confirmation in 2002.

...Bush then nominated Roger F. Noriega, a less controversial figure, certainly, but a hard-liner nonetheless. The Senate, where Noriega worked as senior staff in the 1990s, confirmed him in July 2003.

As a Senate staffer, Noriega often complained about the lack of a comprehensive strategy toward the region. Unfortunately his words and actions during his two years as assistant secretary of state revealed a strategy whose only logic was its anti-Castro obsession.

Noreiga's resignation opens the door for likely successor Thomas Shannon, who brings diplomatic experience in the Andean region to the table. Sanchez opines that Shannon will do a better job than his predecessor in dealing with Chavez. Noreiga was quick to engage the Venezuelan leader, often falling right into his hands, and providing him with more of a soapbox.

Finally, Sanchez concludes with an excellent point:

It is important to acknowledge that neither Shannon nor McCarry is Latino. In that way their choice means that the administration has been thinking about qualifications over mere tokenism to attract Hispanic voters. And while more Latinos in government are welcome, of course, the Latinos on this administration's roster have proven to be less beneficial for Latin America as a whole.

With continuing immigration from Latin America, I believe that firsthand experience in the region will become a necessity in US-Latin American relations. Hopefully Latinos in the US will make gains in their educational performace, which up until now has prevented them from climbing the ladder into the echelons of power.