7410 COHA Report, The Essential Gates: Looking Back at His Latin America Policy

Robert Gates’ distinguished career merits attention as he retires to private life after nearly thirty years of service in Washington’s most secretive intelligence circles. Gates, who served as the head of the CIA in the late 1980s and early 1990s, later became the U.S. Secretary of Defense under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Gates’ tenure as defense secretary will naturally be remembered for stewarding U.S. forces through arguably one of the nation’s most controversial periods of foreign conflict. His career included the decade following 9/11,  two full-scale wars in Iraq,a devastating conflict in Afghanistan, and the recent limited strike attacks in Libya. Considering this climate, relations with Latin America were far from the top of Gates’ priorities. Nevertheless, as a statesman with Cold War-era training and experience, Gates certainly recognized the strategic importance of the region and actively maintained a degree of focus on Latin America throughout his career, focusing particular attention on hemispheric security and combating the region’s growing drug trade.

Observing Gates’ Career

Gates serves as a transformative figure in the history of U.S. foreign policy. Andrew J. Bacevich, a professor of history and international relations at Boston University, in assessing Gates’ tenure as defense secretary, found that, “In Washington, it’s no longer considered a sin to question American omnipotence. [Gates’] most enduring legacy is likely to be found in his willingness, however belated, to acknowledge the limits of American power.” Much like Donald Rumsfeld, Gates typically relied on the U.S.’ alliances, instead of acting unilaterally in matters of foreign policy.  This strategy was apparent in the Middle East and Latin America; Gates decided to partner with the Mexican and Colombian governments to combat violence in the drug nexus linking Colombia and Mexico with the U.S. market. Yet the lasting lesson Gates will hopefully leave in Washington is that military might is hollow if not combined with sound diplomacy and pragmatism. The U.S. may possess the most advanced weaponry, bases in every corner of the planet, and highly skilled volunteer forces, but if these strengths are not combined with sound tactical decisions emanating from the highest points of command, this country will face unnecessarily grave consequences. This reservation came to fruition as a product of the rash, foolish decision to invade Iraq in 2003. If the U.S. is governed by the ideological principles of neo-conservatism, the country’s global standing could be in peril.