Evening Details
6:00 PM Reception
6:30 PM Program & Book Signing
7:45 PM Contributors’ Circle Dinner
Venezuela has become synonymous with chaos. Economic collapse, political turmoil and a population endangered by starvation and violence – all are haunting the once-promising, peaceful nation.
Some blame President (1999-2013) Hugo Chávez's "Socialism for the 21st Century" for the ruination of an economy whose promise was bolstered by massive petroleum reserves.
Christopher Sabatini, the Council's September 13 speaker, has a long had an eye on events in Latin America. He is a lecturer on international relations and policy at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, founder and executive director of the research non-profit Global Americans and editor of its website, www.LatinAmericaGoesGlobal.org.
On the website in April, Sabatini wrote, "Long before the systematic rounding up of political prisoners, before the indefinite postponement of elections, and before the medical and food shortages, political scientists, professional human rights organizations and economists were warning of the direction President Hugo Chávez was taking the country."
Under his hand-picked successor, Nicolás Maduro, diplomatic and trade relationships have crumbled as the Venezuelan citizens cope with shortages of even the most basic household supplies.
As violence captured the headlines in June, Venezuela's future remained a question. Would Civil War break out? The answer affects many neighbors and nations. Dr. Sabatini continues to monitor the process and the prospects.
His career includes service (2005-2014) as senior director of policy at the Americas Society and Council of the Americas and the founder and editor-in-chief of the hemispheric policy magazine Americas Quarterly. Dr. Sabatini was the Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the National Endowment for Democracy (1997-2005).
A frequent guest on news shows and a contributor to many publications, he earned a Ph.D. in Government at the University of Virginia.
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