The World Affairs Council of Orange County will host Dr. Richard Downie, a senior fellow for Latin American Studies at the Pacific Council on International Policy, for a webinar on the current situation in Venezuela. Given the increase in military operations with air strikes on vessels allegedly carrying narcotics, questions on violations of U.S. and International humanitarian law prevail – diplomatic resolution seems wary in the least. Dr. Downie, an expert in Latin American politics, will dig into the situation and give his take on what is happening, what may result from the current diplomatic climate and the limits of diplomacy. Stay informed and join us for a fruitful discussion on Venezuela, the U.S. and Latin America.
“It would be hard to predict what and when the next steps will happen—especially given the ongoing controversy regarding the “second strike” to kill the two people hanging on the side of the wreckage.…the issue is whether diplomacy will work to resolve the situation, or if the US will decide to escalate to a ground attack in Venezuela, which would be a major operation that the U.S. public would probably not support.” – Richard Downie
Event Details:
When: Tuesday, December 16th | 12:00 P.M. PST
Where: Zoom Webinar | Registration required
Tickets: No charge, RSVP required
Meet the Speaker
Dr. Richard Downie is Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies at the Pacific Council on International Policy and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He serves on the Boards of the World Hwa Rang Do Association, Westport Construction Incorporated, and is a member of the Faculty of Missouri State University Defense and Strategic Studies Program, as well as the Thayer Leader Development Group at the United States Military Academy.
Following his career in the U.S. Army, he held senior defense and academic leadership roles. For nine years, he served as Director of the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington, D.C., shaping security and defense cooperation across the Western Hemisphere. He is also the former President & CEO of both the Los Angeles World Affairs Council–and previously, the World Affairs Council of Orange County.
A graduate of the United States Military Academy, Dr. Downie earned his Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Southern California. He is a media commentator on global and hemispheric security, appearing on CNN/Español, Univision, Telemundo, Bloomberg, NPR, NTN24, and other international outlets.
