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Andres Oppenheimer
The announced departure of the top
Arturo Valenzuela, a Chilean-born
His sudden departure has triggered a debate over whether he should be replaced by a more experienced career diplomat with better chances of quick congressional approval, or by another political appointee closer to the secretary of state and the
Among career diplomats, well-placed congressional and diplomatic sources tell me that there are two well-known envoys whose names are circulating as the top contenders for the job: Ambassadors William Brownfield and Anne W. Patterson.
Brownfield is the head of the
But Brownfield took over the
Other career officers who are mentioned are U.S. ambassador to Thailand Christy Kenney, a former ambassador to Ecuador who was also stationed in Argentina and Jamaica; Roberta S. Jacobson, the current No. 2 at Valenzuela's office, who was the
Among political appointees, the field is wide open. Two of the top contenders, former White House Latin America advisor Nelson Cunningham and U.S. under-secretary of Commerce Francisco Sanchez have told friends that they are not interested in the job.
Supporters of the idea of naming a political appointee say that some of the most critical issues in U.S.-Latin American relations -- such as the pending free-trade agreements with Colombia and Panama and other problems that require congressional approval -- require somebody who knows how to work the U.S. political system.
But others argue that it should be a career officer, in part, because the Obama administration should try to avoid another long political fight with
My opinion: Barring surprises, Valenzuela is likely to be succeeded by a
Will the appointment of a new head of Latin American affairs bring about any changes in U.S. policy toward Latin America? It should. In my next column I will tell you why.
Available at Amazon.com:
At War with the Weather: Managing Large-Scale Risks in a New Era of Catastrophes
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World - Wanted: New U.S. Chief of Latin American Affairs | Global Viewpoint