In Episode 7 of History of the Present, Brian Daitzman speaks with Ambassador Luis G. Moreno, a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer and former ambassador to Jamaica whose career has taken him across Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe. Drawing on years of direct diplomatic experience, Moreno offers a grounded perspective on how power is actually exercised—and what it looks like when those mechanisms begin to break down.
This conversation moves beyond abstract geopolitical debate and into the lived reality of statecraft. Moreno describes how alliances, diplomatic presence, and long-term development efforts function as the underlying infrastructure of American influence. These systems are often invisible to the public, yet they shape how the United States operates globally, how it builds trust, and how it sustains strategic advantage over time.
The central tension of the discussion is difficult to ignore. As the United States reduces its diplomatic footprint, questions the value of alliances, and scales back development programs, it may be weakening the very structures that once extended its reach. Unlike conventional measures of decline, this process does not announce itself clearly. It unfolds gradually, through decisions that appear isolated but accumulate into larger structural consequences.
The discussion spans NATO and the war in Ukraine, U.S. engagement in Latin America, and the strategic implications of foreign aid and development policy. Throughout, Moreno emphasizes that power is not simply a function of military capacity. It is built through relationships, credibility, and sustained engagement. When those elements are neglected, the effects are not immediate, but they are lasting.
This episode offers a clear and disciplined look at how global influence is constructed, how it is maintained, and how it can begin to erode. It asks a direct question: what happens when a system designed to project power is no longer consistently supported by the decisions that sustain it?
This episode explores:
Why alliances, diplomacy, and credibility form the foundation of U.S. global power
What is lost when diplomatic presence is reduced or withdrawn
How changes to foreign aid policy reshape global influence and create strategic openings
The role of ambassadors as operational actors within international systems
How short-term political decisions produce long-term structural effects
Why global flashpoints, from Ukraine to Taiwan, are connected through broader strategic choices
About Ambassador Luis G. Moreno
Ambassador Luis G. Moreno is a retired career U.S. Foreign Service officer and former U.S. ambassador to Jamaica. His diplomatic career includes postings in Colombia, Mexico, Iraq, Israel, and Haiti, with extensive experience in international security, development, and global diplomacy.
About History of the Present
History of the Present is a series hosted by Brian Daitzman, Editor-in-Chief of The Intellectualist, examining how power, media, and historical structures shape the world in real time.
