 |
|||
|
|
Changes in the Andes
Over the past decade, South American countries have undergone dramatic democratic transformations. From Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego, systems of government, social contracts, economic systems, relations among nations in the region, and the region’s role in world affairs are being redefined. Beginning with the election of President Hugo Chavez in Venezuela in 1998, and continuing with the elections of Presidents Evo Morales in Bolivia in 2005 and Rafael Correa in Ecuador in 2006, countries in the Andean region are proposing bold initiatives aimed at 1) social, economic and political inclusion of the historically excluded 2) a redefinition of the role natural resources should play in the development of the region and 3) a more assertive foreign policy that seeks the creation of the South American Community of Nations. Innovative energy integration schemes, the Bolivarian Alternative of the Americas, and the proposed Bank of the South are but a few examples of these initiatives that seek to make these three countries of the Andean region “policy makers” in hemispheric affairs. The conference is oriented not only toward analyzing the immediate situation in Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela. It is also geared toward analyzing how the current situation in these Andean countries reflects larger issues that are also influencing our understanding of the processes of social development as well as economic and political liberalization throughout the region. These processes are taking place in an international economic system dominated by the post-Washington Consensus and an inter-American system that seems to be in a process of redefinition. In the Latin American context, Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela, despite the uniqueness of their experiences, seem to jointly represent the challenges and opportunities faced by societies trying to re-accommodate the logics of political and economic liberalization of the past two decades in order to foster social, ethnic, economic and political inclusion, and address concerns of growth and equity. The conference is aimed at shedding light on some of these issues.
Kendra Fehrer, Conference Organizer, is responsible for coordinating speakers, guests, and discussion panels. Benjamin Brown, Assistant to the Director of the Center for Latin American Studies, is responsible for logistics, registration, and accomodations.
|
||
|
|||
