Savannah Council on World Affairs Lecture Series

The Savannah Council on World Affairs presents Ambassador (ret.) Charles Shapiro, "U.S. Relations with Latin America, and after Venezuela, is Cuba Next?"

The United States removed Venezuelan President Maduro January 3 and brought him to face charges in the U.S.  What is next for Venezuela and how will the U.S. interact with the leadership left behind there?  The Administration is speaking about the need for change in Cuba and hinted that the U.S. could help bring about that change. It may be through economic means, but the Joint Chiefs reportedly are also updating plans for a military intervention. The Administration's National Security Strategy lists the Americas first among priority regions of the world and describes a new "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine.  Our former Ambassador to Venezuela and former U.S. Coordinator for Cuban Affairs, Charles Shapiro, will offer his insights on these issues and prospects for U.S. relations with Latin America generally.  Ambassador Shapiro is a sought after commentator on the latest developments in the region; he is President Emeritus of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta and Professor of the Practice at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech.  Please join us!

Ambassador (ret.) Charles Shapiro is President Emeritus of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta, a senior advisor at the Pendleton Group, co-founder of Art of Diplomacy Tours, and a Professor of Practice at the Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech. 

A career foreign service officer at the U.S. Department of State, Shapiro served as Ambassador to Venezuela, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere, and Coordinator for Cuban Affairs.  

In 2011 Shapiro became the president of the Institute of the Americas, a think tank at the University of California San Diego. In 2014 he became president of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta. While at the Council, he taught international business at Georgia State University. 

Shapiro has published op-eds in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Toronto Star, the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the Miami Herald, the San Diego Union Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times.