CLAS Hosts Event on US-Venezuela Relations
2020
On December 7, 2020, the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), an affiliated center of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, hosted a panel discussion titled “United States-Venezuela Relations: Will They Change under a Biden Administration?” This event was presented in collaboration with the Pardee Graduate Council and hosted by PGC President Maria Santarelli together with Ambassador Paul Hare, Senior Lecturer at the Pardee School, who moderated the conversation.
The event featured Congressman Miguel Pizarro, member of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Dr. Carlos Blanco, Visiting Researcher at CLAS, and Dr. Michael McCarthy, founder and CEO of the research advisory firms Caracas Wire LLC and Ceibo Growth Strategies.
After providing an analysis on the key features of the current political, social, and economic scenario in Venezuela, discussed the nature of the Maduro and the challenges the opposition face in confronting an unpredictable regime, both internally and abroad.
Pizarro, Blanco, and McCarthy commented on the preliminary results of the contested parliamentary elections that took place a day earlier in Venezuela, which have not been recognized by the U.S., the European Union, and other organizations. They noted that only 31% vote turnout was registered, shedding light on the popular disbelief on the validity of the elections. The panelists also highlighted that opposing forces to the regime are internally divided. They stressed the need to revitalize the momentum that the Guaidó delegation gained about a year ago.
The panelists also touched on the Trump Administration’s approach toward Venezuela and envisioned that U.S. foreign policy toward the South American country will not differ greatly under the forthcoming Biden Administration. At the end, questions from the audience were taken.
CLAS provides students with a versatile and powerful vehicle to develop an in-depth and interdisciplinary understanding of the Latin American region. The program offers students a wide variety of regionally-focused courses in Latin America, which are taught by a range of academic departments. The interdisciplinary nature of the program provides the necessary breadth and depth for students to understand the complexities and remarkable diversity of Latin America, defined as the 20 independent countries in the Western Hemisphere south of the United States with Spanish, French, or Portuguese as their official languages. Learn more about this center on the CLAS website.