The Obama Doctrine is beginning to crystallize in his first 100 days. The fact that both ultra-liberals and conservatives are criticizing him in the fashion they are should give one confidence in the manner in which President Obama is carrying out his foreign policy.

Those on the far left expected Obama to fold up the American military endeavor in Iraq once he became the leader of the free world like one would address and seal an envelope. Obama is a pragmatist and the notion of leaving the fledgling state to their own devices would simply be reckless. In Afghanistan, Obama always stated his focus would be to go after those responsible for 9/11 and his policy in Central Asia has lived up to his promise. Drones continue to strike key figures among those who would do our soldiers harm; most of them hitting targets within the lawless region of Pakistan. President Obama has also increased the forces in Afghanistan.

Obama also doesn’t appear to be the feckless Commander in Chief the right makes him out to be. There is so much banter on the right wing airwaves about Obama disparaging the good ole USA in his recent speeches as if the statements were said in isolation. Each time Obama discussed an American shortcoming he also addressed where the other party has fallen short. So much has been said on the right about President Obama’s dealings with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez. Chavez is a whack job. If you haven’t had a chance to watch the Frontline episode about Chavez you can view it HERE. It is a great insight into the nature of the tin-pot leader. Chavez was mugging for his country’s cameras when he presented Obama with a book in Spanish entitled, “Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent”. It was  undiplomatic grandstanding on Chavez’s part. When reporters asked President Obama after the Summit of the Americas was over about his friendly interaction with Chavez and the fact the Venezuelan president handed him a book which highlighted European and US malfeasance in the region, Obama replied:

“Venezuela is a country whose defense budget is probably 1/600th of the United States’. They own Citgo. It’s unlikely that as a consequence of me shaking hands or having a polite conversation with Mr. Chavez that we are endangering the strategic interests of the United States. I don’t think anybody can find any evidence that that would do so. Even within this imaginative crowd, I think you would be hard-pressed to paint a scenario in which U.S. interests would be damaged as a consequence of us having a more constructive relationship with Venezuela.”

To understand the impact Obama’s new expression of tolerance had on the meeting, don’t go to the Carl Roves, Dick Cheneys and Rush Limbaughs of the world. Go to Latin America. How did Obama resonate with the countries with whom he interacted? In Brazil, their President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, praised Obama and called on the countries of Latin America to be more self reliant and end the habit of needing someone to rescue them. 

At times our policies in the region have been atrocious. It seems sometimes as if the flag waving, always love America crowd so prevalent on the right simply refuses to accept history as it was. Have any of these folks studied how the US gained access to Panama through backing an unlawful revolution against the Columbians? Do they have any knowledge of the CIA led overthrow of the democratically elected government in Guatemala which in turn led to a campaign of ethnic cleansing in that nation? How about the US involvement with dictators in South America? One so easily forgets the US annexation of one half of Mexico in the 1840s. Why is it so hard for these people to understand the Monroe Doctrine has led to a blank check for the US to carry out an agenda in the region that has left many Latinos thinking not so kind thoughts of the US? Does anyone think that a kind appearance and handshakes will do harm to American interests in the Latin America? Americans should be proud of the fact we have such a well-spoken man in the White House who is carrying out the office with such good will.

President Obama is also shrewd. After allowing travel by Cuban-Americans to their familial homeland and allowing the sending of remittances there as well, Obama then told the Cuban leadership the ball is now in their court. It is time for you to take a step forward; to free political prisoners and move toward more civil rights. This led the Cuban President Raul Castro to state:

“We’ve told the North American government, in private and in public, that we are prepared, wherever they want, to discuss everything — human rights, freedom of the press, political prisoners — everything, everything, everything that they want to discuss.”

Of course these are just words but if Cuba wants the US to move forward with improved relations it is their turn to act.

For the past eight years the only tool they used in their toolbox was a hammer. It is so refreshing to see the new administration utilize their full complement of tools.

There are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the US today. More than half of them, roughly 57 percent come from Mexico and another 24 percent make their way here illegally from other Latin American countries. Many of these immigrants fill jobs that others are unwilling to do, or at least that was the case before the current economic crisis. We have no way of knowing how bad the economic situation will get, but if it continues to spiral our of control citizens will surely begin to take the jobs now done by illegals. Most of those who make their way across the deserts of the Southwest become hard working, law abiding citizens with strong family values. Their work ethic and dedication make them yet the latest immigrants to carry on the great tradition that has made the United States so vibrant. But now is the time to put an end to the flood of undocumented people crossing our borders. With unemployment rising above seven percent along  a trajectory that certainly will rise higher, there is no longer any room for illegal immigration.

Where once closing the border seemed necessary to protect us from terrorist attack, the more important reason now is an economic one. If Americans are having trouble locating jobs what will the climate be like for those without proper papers? Now is the time to secure our borders. Perhaps this goes counterintuitive with this lists number ten (to improve relations with Latin America) but steps can be taken to soften the blow of a border crackdown. Create a cutoff date, say 10 years at which an illegal immigrant can be allowed to purchase a green card as long as they are sponsored by an employer after which all employers will be heavily fined for employing illegal immigrants. All illegals who have been in the US less than 10 years will be required to return to their country of origin. Tightening the border would not be an impossible task, it just would take resolve; a resolve the government hasn’t mustered to this point despite the cry by conservatives. As the economic crisis deepens, the number of illegal immigrants who will require government assistance will surely climb and this is money we cannot afford. Taking preemptive steps before the coming storm only seems wise. This is why securing our borders comes in at number five on Obama’s to-do list.

If the world wasn’t so messed up number seven on Obama’s to-do list could easily be number one. There is nothing like a festering sore that extends just a few short miles from our shores. Cuba was one of the first lands where Christopher Columbus landed back in the 15th century. Its rich heritage, blending the Spanish with the African, brings a unique soul to the Caribbean’s largest island. Despite a history of struggle, Cuba’s people and culture are one of the Americas’ gems. Anyone who is moved by the smooth rhythms of Ibrahim Ferrer comprehends Cuba. For most Americans, Cuba has remained blanketed; shielded from us by an antiquated policy whose origins are of our own making.

Cuba was “liberated” from the Spanish during the US war against Spain. Liberty was just an illusion, however, as America seized control of the island. Businesses thrived in Cuba during the period prior to WW II. Self government existed on a local scale but the US remained deeply interventionist. Cuba became a pariah following the Communist Revolution in Cuba. The Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis under JFKs watch further distanced the US from Castro’s Cuba. Despite being almost as close neighbors as Canada and Mexico, the US has treated Cuba as a non-entity. This policy has largely been dictated in recent years by the Cuban community in America that fled Cuba under Castro and who long to see his demise. Most of these elder Cubans reside in Florida, a state that has had some significant electoral weight in recent US elections. Religious and cultural exchanges have occurred since the end of the Cold War but no trade, and the US government has imposed a travel restriction on Americans who wish to go there.

It is well past time to change American policy towards Cuba. Cuba no longer poses a threat to the US (not that it really did after the Cuban Missile Crisis, anyway). The way communism can be defeated in Cuba is to flood the country with the fruits of capitalism which will cause their broken system of government to whither on the vine. The Cuban people are yearning to break from their strict society. With our economy on life support why not open up the floodgates between our two nations and allow Cuba to buy American products. Have you ever seen their cars? They continue to operate cars from the 1950s. What a great time to begin to introduce US automobiles into a new capitalist Cuba. I guarantee when Americans begin to go into the lazy humid bars of Havana and restfully sip on a cuba libre they will ask themselves, “Where has this been all my life?”. President Obama, change should come to Cuba also. This is why the American policy to open up Cuba after over a century of sanctions comes in at number seven.

With ten days until Barack Obama is inaugurated it seems like a good time to detail ten issues that Obama should address. Since the economy would be number one and that issue is much too grand for this venue, it will remain out of this top 10 list. Most are foreign affairs matters since that is what this blogger is most comfortable writing about but it is not exclusively about foreign policy. Each day for the next ten you can return here to see the countdown.

 LATIN AMERICA

The United States relationship with Latin America has been contentious for well over 150 years. The Monroe Doctrine spelled out early America’s intention to hold sway over the nations to our south. This simple policy has dictated the US relationship with our Latin neighbors. The land grab against Mexico in the 1840s has worked out well for us but it laid the groundwork for how far America was willing to proceed to meet our policy goals. The Spanish American War, where Cuba fought to secure independence from Spain only to be devoured by America during the wave of Imperialism that was sweeping the world in the waning years of the 19th century, removed the last significant European power from the Western Hemisphere and guaranteed US hegemony in the region. The fallout with Cuba over this war has tainted our relationship with the island nation (Cuba will reappear further up the top 10 list) The early 20th century saw US intervention in the Panamanian insurrection which wrested Panama from Columbia. The aim was a canal project that would shorten the route between America’s east and west coast for shipping. Haiti was the first Latin American country to gain independence  but the US has intervened in Haiti on several occasions since, as the nation has been the poster child of instability.

America’s experiences in Latin America in the last half of the 20th Century continued to reduce our credibility in the region. Eisenhower used the CIA to overthrow a democratically elected government in Guatemala over business interests. The Latino government that was installed proceeded to carry out genocide against their indigenous people. Our failed policies toward Cuba in the first half of the 20th century ultimately led to a communist pro-Soviet government run by Castro in the second half. This in turn spawned conflict in the Banana Republics in Central America. Civil War ravaged Nicaragua and El Salvador and the violence was fueled by US support of non-communist forces. Tens of thousands perished in the proxy wars of the 1980s. As a result the beacon for democracy in the world has more often than not enhanced despotism in the region and left the American label tarnished.

Today, Latin America is at a crossroads. There are some great success stories. Brazil has evolved into an emerging economic force in South America. They have found a way through sugar cane biofuels to become energy independent. Columbia, once devastated by narco-terrorism is now on the road to recovery. Many Latin American nations have experimented with socialism and democracy and most have found a combination of the two systems best for them. Venezuela has found, through Hugo Chavez, that anti-American rhetoric has increased their popularity in certain circles but Chavez is finding that this approach only succeeds in the short run. His economic policy, despite huge oil revenues, has been largely a failure. Mexico ended one party rule in the 1990s and their future seemed to be brighter once their monetary policy issues were rectified but our southern neighbor is dealing with its own drug war. Gang violence, fueled by drugs, has ripped through their northern states. Lawlessness is the norm in many parts of Mexico. This will surely be on the plate of Obama in the near term, especially if the violence spills across the border.

FDR initiated what was called the Good Neighbor policy and was intended to bring Anglo America and Latin America together but the good feelings that the policy may have brought were very short. FDR’s policy didn’t hold but Barack Obama has a great opportunity to improve relations with Latin America in our time. We can learn much from Brazil’s energy policy. Emerging nations in the region can provide willing markets for American goods. It is time the US eliminate the legacy of the Monroe Doctrine and begin to treat the nations  in our hemisphere as potential partners and not states by which we will exert our dominance. It is time to tidy up our neighborhood. This is why Latin American policy comes in at number 10.