Presentation: COHA Press Conference with Haitian Presidential Candidate Michelet Nestor

POTENTIAL FOR PROSPERITY: HAITI PRE-AND-POST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS OF 2015

Keynote Address By Presidential Candidate Michelet Nestor

Introductory Remarks By Sam Aman, COHA Senior Research Associate

And W. Alejandro Sanchez, COHA Senior Research Fellow

Venue: The George Washington University – Elliott School of International Affairs

1957 E Street NW – Room 211

Washington, DC 20052

Date: Wednesday, August 5th, 2015 -10:00 am (EST)

EVENT SYNOPSIS:

With continued socioeconomic instability following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake of 2010, coupled with the en masse, forced deportation of hundreds of thousands of refugees of Haitian descent from the Dominican Republic looming, the once ‘Gem of the Caribbean’ is again on the brink and under a geopolitical microscope.

The prolonged shortage of access to shelter, food and water for its citizenry, in addition to allegations of continued corruption in its governance and the misappropriation of relief funds, has served as a catalyst for international attention to justifiably be placed on Haiti’s potential to support the migration and efforts for political reformation.

In this light, the Republic’s upcoming Presidential elections, taking place on October 25, 2015, may serve as the milestone and inspiration to reshape perceptions of Haiti and pivot its present trajectory.

Questions no doubt linger – With over fifty candidates presently engaged in the contest, what is the likelihood the ‘playing field’ will be truly level and transparent? Does Haiti have the capacity to support free and fair elections? And if not, does the beleaguered Caribbean nation ‘deserve’ continued international support, still today a chief proponent of its economy?

Join international entrepreneur and Presidential candidate Michelet ‘Mike’ Nestor in an interactive discussion on Haiti’s present state of emergency and ‘crisis of conscience’, coupled with its potential for tangible change, hosted by the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) on Wednesday, August 5th at 10:00 a.m.

Event: A Populist Capture of the Organization of American States?

A Populist Capture of the Organization of American States?

CATO Institute - Policy Forum

February 19, 2013 12:00PM

Hayek Auditorium
Video originally published: http://www.cato.org/events/populist-capture-organization-american-states

Featuring Guillermo A. Cochez,
Former Ambassador of Panama to the OAS; and William M. Berenson, 

Adjunct Professor at American University’s Washington College of Law;
moderated by Juan Carlos Hidalgo,

Policy Analyst on Latin America, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute.

I ask a question regarding former OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria's role
during Peru's Alberto Fujimori dictatorship 

at like the 75minute.

Event: Police Reform in Latin America: Implications for U.S. Policy

Police Reform in Latin America: Implications for U.S. Policy
Americas Program
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Tuesday, April 10
9:00 - 11:00 AM
B1-B Conference Center
CSIS 1800 K. St. NW, Washington, DC 20006

Register: http://bit.ly/HPYB5q


Hosted by:
Stephen Johnson, Director and Senior Fellow, CSIS Americas Program
Johanna Mendelson Forman, Senior Associate, CSIS Americas Program

With:
Steven Dudley, Co-Director of Insight: Organized Crime in the Americas

Ralph Espach, Research Analyst, Center for Naval Analysis

James Lewis, Director and Senior Fellow, CSIS Technology and Public Policy Program

Mark Wells, Director, Office of Latin American Affairs, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department of State
James "Chips" Stewart, Director, Center for Naval Analysis Public Safety Program (invited)

Diana Negroponte, Nonresident Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Nathalie Alvarado, Citizen Security Lead Specialist, Inter-American Development Bank
Amb. Paul E. Simons, Executive Secretary, Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), Organization of American States (OAS)

Historically, U.S. assistance aimed at training and professionalizing foreign police forces has been episodic and controversial. Episodic because of the type of training received has tended to match U.S. perceptions of the threat of the moment, and controversial because foreign law enforcement structures have had close ties with military institutions which do not match U.S. models and which raise concerns about potential human rights abuse. Today, as transnational crime is becoming the leading threat to public safety in certain parts of Latin America, law enforcement capacity is becoming a critical issue. While the United States used to be alone in offering police training and assistance, other actors are becoming involved, from multilateral financial institutions to other donor nations. Are current U.S policies helpful in promoting better citizen security, or are there too many cooks in the kitchen?
This two-panel discussion is based upon the Americas Program's recently published report, Police Reform in Latin America: Implications for U.S. Policy, which can be accessed by clicking on the title.

Countering Transnational Organized Crime and Improving Citizen Security in Central America: The View from U.S. Southern Command

I attended this event and got to ask a question about the future of the U.S. bases in the region, namely in Palmerola, Honduras, and the air force base in El Salvador.

General Douglas M. Fraser, USAF Commander
United States Southern Command
Podcast available: http://bit.ly/GX0zmH


With Introductory Remarks by
The Hon. Jane Harman,
Director, President & CEO of the
Woodrow Wilson Center

Friday, March 23, 2012
9:00 to 10:30 a.m.
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.