June

29
2010

10:00 am EDT - 12:00 pm EDT

Past Event

Latin America and the Obama Administration: A New Partnership?

  • Tuesday, June 29, 2010

    10:00 am - 12:00 pm EDT

The Brookings Institution
Saul/Zilkha Rooms

1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
20036

President Barack Obama took office in early 2009 with an ambitious foreign policy agenda for the Americas. In April of that year, his keynote remarks at the fifth Summit of the Americas emphasized the United States’ new course of seeking equal partnership and collaboration in the region.

On June 29, the Latin America Initiative at Brookings and the Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF) brought together experts from the region to discuss the significance of this renewed hemispheric partnership and featured a keynote address from Arturo Valenzuela, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs. Panelists included: Craig Kelly, principal deputy assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State; Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue; Luis Enrique Berrizbeitia, executive vice-president of the Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF); and Kevin Casas-Zamora, senior fellow at Brookings. They took a closer look at the idea of partnership in the region, reviewed the progress that has been made, explored opportunities that exist for the future and discussed the realities of developing collaborative policies in the region across a wide range of topics, including energy and climate change. The discussion also revisited the policy recommendations made by Brookings‘s Partnership for the Americas Commission.

Latin America and the Obama Administration: A New Partnership?

Agenda

  • June 29
    • Moderator

      Mauricio Cárdenas
      Mauricio Cárdenas Visiting Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy - Colombia University, Former Minister of Finance and Public Credit - Republic of Colombia, Former Brookings Expert
    • Keynote Address

      AV
      Arturo Valenzuela Professor of Government - Georgetown University
    • Discussants

      CK
      Craig Kelly Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State
      LEB
      Luis Enrique Berrizbeitia Executive Vice-President, Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF)
      Kevin Casas-Zamora Former Brookings Expert, Director, Programa Estado de Derecho, Diálogo Interamericano
      MS
      Michael Shifter