2003 Events

U.S. - Latin America Relations Today

The distinguished panel will discuss trends and issues in the Western
Hemisphere, relying on the Inter-American Dialogue's 2003 Policy Report as starting point for the debate. To read this report please click on the link below, you will need Acrobat Reader in order to view this file.

"The Troubled Americas" Inter-American Dialogue's 2003 Policy Report

Panelists:

Peter Hakim, President, Inter-American Dialogue
Amb. Myles Frechette, President, Americas Society
Amb. Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, Mexico's Representative to the United Nations
Amb. Juan Gabriel Valdés, Chile's Representative to the United Nations [TBC]

Peter Hakim is president of the Inter-American Dialogue, the leading U.S. center for policy analysis and exchange on Western Hemisphere affairs. Mr. Hakim writes and speaks widely on hemispheric issues, is regularly interviewed on radio and television, and has testified more than a dozen times before Congress. His articles have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Financial Times, and Christian Science Monitor. He was a vice president of the Inter-American Foundation and worked for the Ford Foundation in both New York and Latin America. He has taught at MIT and Columbia. He currently serves on boards and advisory committees for the Foundation of the Americas, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Foreign Affairs en Español, Intellibridge Corporation, and Human Rights Watch. He is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations. Peter Hakim earned a B.A. at Cornell University, an M.S. in Physics at the University Pennsylvania, and a Master of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School.

Amb. Myles Frechette became President and Chief Executive Officer of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas in July 2002. Before 2002, he served as trade and business consultant as well as Executive Director of the North American- Peruvian Business Council (1998-2002); Special Coordinator for the Santiago Summit of the Americas (1997-1998); U.S. Ambassador to Colombia (1994-1997). Myles Frechette has also served as Director of policy Planning, Coordination and Press in the Department of State's Bureau of Inter-American Affairs (1993-1994); as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa (1990-1993). He has served in other positions after joining the U.S. Foreign Service in 1963, after several years in the private sector. His assignments in the State Department in Washington, DC were all related to Latin America. He worked in the Office of the Coordinator of Cuban Affairs (1963-1965) and later was the Coordinator of Cuban Affairs from 1979 to 1982. He was Peru Desk Officer from 1971 through 1974. From 1982 to 1983 he worked on Special Projects directly for the Assistant Secretary for Inter-American Affairs. Overseas, in addition to his two ambassadorial assignments, he served in Honduras (1965-1967), Chad (1968-1969), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1974-1976), Caracas (1976- 1979) as Political Counselor, and Sao Paulo, Brazil (1988-1990) as Consul General.

Amb. Adolfo Aguilar Zinser is Mexico's Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations. Prior to his selection as Mexico's ambassador to the United Nations, H.E. Adolfo Aguilar Zinser was National Security Advisor and Commissioner of Law and Order in the administration of President Vicente Fox. These appointments reflected recognition as a champion of democratization and human rights in Mexico. In 1997, he was elected Senator as an independent candidate of the Partido Verde Ecologista Mexicano (PVEM). Earlier, he had been elected to a seat in Congress also as an independent candidate of the Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD), following his role as spokesperson for the Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas 1993 campaign for the presidency. Ambassador Aguilar Zinser's public and political roles build on a distinguished career as professor and researcher at UNAM, CIDE and several other Mexican and international institutions. His published work includes several books and major essays, as well as a long list of newspaper articles. He holds a M.A. from Harvard University's J.F. Kennedy School of Government and undergraduate studies at El Colegio de México.

Amb. Juan Gabriel Valdés is Chile's Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations and Former Foreign Minister. Ambassador Valdés has held diverse positions in Chile, including Head of the Vice Ministry for International Economic Affairs; Director of the International Division of the Ministry of Finance; Coordinator of the NAFTA Negotiating Team; and Lead Negotiator of the trade agreement between Chile and Canada. Dr. Valdés holds a Ph.D. from Princeton
University, where he wrote a dissertation on the economic model implemented in Chile during the Pinochet regime. He experienced exile in the United States during Chile's military dictatorship. In Washington, he worked with Chile's Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Orlando Letelier at the Institute for Policy Studies. He taught and conducted research in Mexico's Latin American Institute for Transnational Studies, the Economic Research and Development Center (CIDE), and other institutions. After returning to Chile, he combined professional and academic activities with active participation in the political struggle for democracy. Dr. Valdés has worked as a consultant for the UN's Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL) and the UN Program for Development (PNUD). He has published several papers on international relations, including relations between the United States and Chile.

When: Monday, March 31, 5 PM
Where: Room 9205
The Graduate Center, City University of New York
365 Fifth Avenue (@34th St.)
New York City

[Within walking distance of all major train, subway, and bus lines in Manhattan, including Pennsylvania Station, Grand Central, and Port Authority Terminal.]

Prior Registration is required, send an e-mail with full name, title, institution, and mailing address to bildner@gc.cuny.edu or leave message at (212) 817-2096.