John Negroponte

President Bush's nomination of current director of National Intelligence John Negroponte for the position of deputy secretary of state brings bad news for Latin America.

* U.S. policy on Venezuela likely to harden after Negroponte's confirmed
* Chairman Biden to meet early test whether the Senate Foreign Relations committee again rolls over on Negroponte's shocking record while ambassador to Honduras in the early 1980s
* Recent neglect of Latin America due to Washington's distraction over the Iraq war gave the region elbow room to pluralize its relations with the rest of the world and achieve new agreements and economic ties with non-traditional partners
* In Honduras, Negroponte was more a conspirator than a benign diplomat
* As second in command at the Department of State, Negroponte will be the de facto supreme arbiter of Latin American policy directives under Rice, who is known for her inattention to the region More...