What could prove to be occurring on a daily basis, COHA systematically will be distributing the key substantive regional policy statements being made by Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela to its entire mailing list. Similarly, it will be covering the hemispheric-related statements made by other U.S. policymakers in order to provide a record of the direction, consistency, and the degree of enlightenment of the entire Obama administration’s regional team. COHA’s goal is to establish whether the Administration is committed to introducing innovative policies, rather than merely carrying on with the disaccredited Bush Administration’s formulations which, rather than honor the regional relationship, in fact reflected the lowest possible common denominator of hemispheric relations. The hope is that the new Administration will not witness a disavowal of the president’s campaign pledges and his assurances that high-minded policy formulations were in the offing.
