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On July 7, the Woodrow Wilson Center and the Inter-American Dialogue invited Fernando Carrillo Flórez and Edgardo Maya Villazón, the respective Colombian Inspector and Comptrollers Generals, to address the growing issue of corruption in Colombia and their plans to solve it.
During an exclusive interview with South Korean newspaper Maeil Business, Michael Shifter, President of the Inter-American Dialogue, noted that certain Trump administration’s policies – such as pushing for the renegotiation of NAFTA – could have positive effects for South Korea. “Donald Trump’s new trade policy can be an opportunity for Korea to expand its reach to the Latin American market.”
Mexico’s unemployment rate fell to a lower-than-expected 3.56 percent of the economically active population in May, the lowest unemployment reading since December 2007, according to data released on June 26 by state statistics agency INEGI. On June 22, Mexico’s central bank, led by Agustín Carstens, raised its key interest rate but hinted that it may be the last hike in its current tightening cycle. Are Mexico’s economic indicators showing signs of promise?
“I was held at three concentration camps for more than one year; the key was to survive. Then I was expelled and I lived in exile for 10 years, barred from returning to the country. Many suffered much more than I did. […] During those years, I learned another lesson: If you allow yourself to sink into the justified bitterness and let your spirit to become contaminated with a negative animus, you cannot persuade and help mobilize others to build a better society. Therefore, the task was to build a new political and social force, and to battle for a better world, in liberty, without dictatorship.” Sergio Bitar receiving the Guillermo el O´Donnell Democracy Award and Lectureship 2017
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On June 21, the Inter-American Dialogue was proud to host Juan Carlos Varela, sitting President of Panama, to discuss a variety of issues with Dialogue President, Michael Shifter. The hour-long conversation focused on confronting the current challenges in Central America, combating corruption and violence in Panama, the recent severing of ties between Taiwan and Panama, and looking ahead to next year’s Summit of the Americas in Peru.
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Analyzing Panama’s shifting foreign policy and economic ties, CGTN’s Rachelle Akuffo spoke with Margaret Myers, director of the Latin America and the World Program at the Inter-American Dialogue.
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El viernes 2 de Junio, Michael Shifter habló con America 360 para discutir la situación en Venezuela y el impacto que puede o debe tener la Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA) sobre la crisis en este país. El presidente del Diálogo también habló sobre el papel de EEU y como seguirá aplicando sanciones contra oficiales del gobierno chavista.
Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean surpassed US$70 billion in 2016, representing a critical source of income for the region. Two new Dialogue studies shed light on remittances, emerging technologies in methods of transfers, and opportunities for financial inclusion. These studies were presented and discussed on May 17th at an event moderated by Peter Hakim, President Emeritus of the Dialogue, and featuring speakers Manuel Orozco, the Director of the Dialogue’s Migration, Remittances, and Development Program, and Daniel Ayala, the Executive Vice President and Head of Global Remittances Services for Wells Fargo.
“Pasé por tres campos de concentración durante más de un año; la clave fue sobrevivir. Y luego viví 10 años de exilio, con prohibición de reingreso al país. Muchos sufrieron harto más que yo, tantos desaparecieron, pero la mayoría mantuvo la resolución de luchar. […] Si uno se sume en la justificada amargura y deja que su espíritu se contamine con un ánimo negativo no puede convocar para construir una sociedad mejor. Decidí entonces dedicar mi vida a recuperar la democracia y la justicia. La tarea era construir una nueva fuerza política y social, y batallar por un mundo mejor, en libertad, sin dictadura.” Sergio Bitar al recibir el premio Guillermo el O´Donnell Democracy Award and Lectureship 2017.
En esta entrevista radiofónica con Luis Montes para WLIE 540 AM, Michael Shifter analiza el presupuesto del gobierno de Trump y su impacto en la región, lo que podemos anticipar sobre las políticas de Estados Unidos hacia Cuba, y el rol de distintos actores en la crisis de Venezuela.
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On Tuesday, May 23rd, the Inter-American Dialogue hosted an event with Ivan Briscoe, Latin America and Caribbean program director at the International Crisis Group; Ana Glenda Tager, Latin America regional director at Interpeace; and Steven Dudley, Co-Director of InSight Crime. During this session, the speakers addressed violence in Central American in relation to gangs.
In the early 1980s, when the Inter-American Dialogue was born, the U.S. was actively supporting right-wing governments from El Salvador to Nicaragua. There were “tremendous misunderstandings between Latin America and the United States,” says Michael Shifter, longtime president of the D.C.-based think tank. These days, it seems those tremendous misunderstandings have returned with a vengeance, making the Dialogue’s work even more relevant.
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On Tuesday, May 6th, the Inter-American Dialogue and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), hosted an event with Therese Turner Jones, Heather Sutton, Stacey Plaskett, and Richard Aborn. This event was the launch of the IDB’s new publication Restoring Paradise in the Caribbean: Combatting Violence with Numbers. The speakers focused on crime and violence, the region’s greatest challenge.
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On Thursday, May 11th, the Inter-American Dialogue hosted an event with Denise Dresser, professor of Political Science from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. During the event: What’s Wrong with Mexico & How to Fix It, Dresser addressed the challenges the country is facing today such as the US-Mexico relations, Enrique Peña Nieto’s presidency, and corruption.
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Lisa Viscidi, Director of the Energy, Climate Change and Extractive Industries Program, testified before the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs on the subject of “Energy Opportunities in Latin America.”
