Jeffrey Davidow to Speak on U.S. Relationship with Latin America at the Institute for Advanced Study

Jeffrey Davidow, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Venezuela and Zambia, will give a public lecture, “Latin America: Walls or Bridges,” on Wednesday, March 1, which will take place at 5:30 p.m. in Wolfensohn Hall on the Institute campus. This lecture is part of the World Disorder Lecture Series, organized by Jonathan Haslam, George F. Kennan Professor in the School of Historical Studies and is sponsored in part by the Friends of the Institute.

Latin America’s move in recent decades to greater levels of democracy and economic development are undermined by weak institutions, corruption and the lure of populism. While it is a zone of peace with no international hostilities or significant internal insurrections at this time, the nations of the region must deal with complicated futures, which can impact the United States. Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela all face potential profound change. In this lecture, Davidow will discuss how even though America’s historic role of interventionism has long passed, the opportunities and challenges of the region present serious issues for U.S. involvement.

During his thirty-four year career with the Department of State, Davidow served both in Washington, D.C. and overseas. In addition to his title as U.S. Ambassador, he was also Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere. Davidow’s years in Mexico coincided with the advent of a functioning multiparty system. He wrote about his experiences and the nature of the U.S.-Mexico relationship in The Bear and The Porcupine: The U.S. and Mexico (Markus Wiener Publishing 2004), which highlights the complex and often difficult interaction of the two countries.

Davidow retired from the U.S. State Department in 2003 with the rank of Career Ambassador, the highest position in the Foreign Service. He then served as President of the Institute of the Americas, a think tank and conference center focusing on Latin America at the University of California, San Diego. Davidow is currently a Senior Counselor at the Cohen Group, a consultancy involved in international business strategies, headed by former Secretary of Defense William Cohen.

The World Disorder Lecture Series is free and open to the public, but registration is requested: www.ias.edu/events/worlddisorder-davidow. For more information on other events at the Institute, visit www.ias.edu/events.