With several nations undergoing or on the brink of crisis, the socioeconomic conditions that have led to the rise of terrorist organizations in other regions of the world exist in many parts in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. At present, terrorism in Latin America is not as widespread as it was in the 1960s and 70s. However, pervasive criminal violence continues to overwhelm many Latin American societies and the frontier between criminal violence and political terrorism could be easily blurred. What exactly should public institutions and civil societies do to preserve and promote liberal democracy when faced with these circumstances?

On Thursday, August 24, Hudson Institute will host an event on the conditions in Latin America. Ambassador Jaime Daremblum, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, will moderate a discussion with Ambassador Javier Rupérez, Javier Lesaca, and Gustavo Tarre. Ambassador Rupérez, a former Spanish diplomat, will address overall trends in political violence in Latin America. Mr. Lesaca, a visiting researcher at George Washington University and author of the recently published Armas de Seducción Masiva, will assess the communication strategy of violent and extremist groups in crisis-ridden states. Mr. Tarre, a Venezuelan attorney and non-resident senior associate at CSIS, will analyze the situation on the ground in Latin America, focusing on specific countries and regions at risk. We hope you can join us for this important discussion.

Javier Rupérez was Spain’s Ambassador to the U.S. from 2000 to 2004. His distinguished career includes appointments as Ambassador to the Madrid Session of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (1979-1982), Ambassador to NATO (1982-1983), and Assistant Secretary General and Executive Director of the Counterterrorism Committee at the United Nations Security Council (2004-2007.) He served as a Member of the Spanish Parliament from 1979 to 2000 and was Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and of the Defense Committee of the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2000. Currently he is the president of Ruperez International LLC, a senior adviser at CSIS's Europe Program, and a senior fellow at George Washington University’s Center for Cyber and Homeland Security.

Javier Lesaca is a visiting researcher at George Washington University. He has served as the Chief of the Cabinet of the Vice-president and the Spokesperson at the Government of Navarra in Spain, and has been a socioeconomic researcher at the Spanish Arab House, a public institution linked to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs devoted to promote public diplomacy with the Arab world. He is the author of Armas de Seducción Masiva, which examines the communication strategy of the Islamic State, and has participated in several meetings of the UN Security Council and UNESCO analyzing the communication strategies of terrorist groups.

Gustavo Tarre is a Venezuelan politician and professor. He taught constitutional law at the Universidad Central de Venezuela and political science at the Universidad Simón Bolívar. Mr. Tarre served in the Venezuelan House of Representatives from 1979 to 1999. He was the deputy leader and leader of the Christian Democratic Parliamentary Group and chaired several congressional committees. Currently, he is a contracted consultant and visiting professor for the Governance Program for Latin America at the Graduate School of Political Management of the George Washington University and a senior associate (non-resident) at the Council for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Ambassador Jaime Daremblum, a scholar of Latin America, international politics, and international economics, joined Hudson Institute as senior fellow and director of Hudson's Center for Latin American Studies in 2005. He served as Ambassador of Costa Rica to the United States from 1998 to 2004. He studied and taught at the University of Costa Rica. He also worked as an economist in the Western Hemisphere Department of the International Monetary Fund, with duties in Brazil. He is a columnist and editorial commentator for La Nación in San José. He earned a law degree in Costa Rica and a Ph.D. at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 1972.

This event will be live streamed on Hudson's homepage. A light lunch will be available at 11:45 am and the program will begin at noon.

Registrations are closed

Violence and Terrorism in Latin America in a Global Context: An Overview