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October 2007 The Center for Latin American Issues Celebrates 15th Anniversary
By Jamie L. Freedman The complex web of economic and political issues facing our neighbors south of the border takes center stage at GW’s Center for Latin American Issues (CLAI). Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, CLAI is dedicated to stimulating scholarly and policy research on key matters affecting Latin America and the Western Hemisphere. The center’s innovative, far-reaching programs have propelled GW to a position of prominence on Latin American affairs. Based in GW’s School of Business, CLAI was established in 1992 as the Institute of Brazilian Issues and broadened its scope in 1998 to include all of Latin America. “Washington is a natural base for studying Latin America,” says James Ferrer Jr., founder and director of the center, whose administrative team is rounded out by Ray Marin, the center’s longtime program manager, and Kevin Kellbach, program administrator since 1994. “Latin America is probably the fastest-growing trade area for the United States, and in 10 years, it will be the largest market for U.S. exports,” Ferrer says. “It’s also one of the largest regions for U.S. investment abroad.” One of GW’s chief reasons for creating CLAI, he says, was to “raise Latin America’s Washington profile.” A capstone of the center is Minerva—a rigorous, semester-long professional development course for midlevel Brazilian public servants. To date, 333 participants have completed the GW-based program, which focuses on economic theory and practice and includes lectures, panel and round-table discussions, visits to government and private institutions, and university courses. This spring, Minerva will expand its reach to include professionals from across Latin America. “Graduates of the Minerva program spread the word about GW in Brazil and across Latin America,” says Ferrer, noting that many Minerva alumni have gone on to hold top positions in Brazil’s government and financial sectors. “Most participants don’t stay in their old positions long once their added value as ‘Minervistas’ is recognized,” he says, pointing out that graduates have become secretary of the treasury in Brazil; director of the Bank of Brazil, the country’s largest financial institution; and chief administrative officer of the House of Representatives. Ferrer keeps in touch with many of them through Minerva’s alumni association, planning social events and dinners with graduates whenever he visits Brazil. CLAI also runs a series of specialized one- to four-week regulatory training programs for Brazilian officials, as well as special institutes on major issues relating to the international economy. Last year, the U.S. Army War College awarded CLAI a contract to organize and host a series of colloquia on hemispheric security issues—a partnership that Ferrer expects will continue. “It was a very successful series, which we hope will become a line item on the Army’s budget,” he says. Throughout the academic year, the center hosts conferences and public forums on timely topics. “Our seminars bring scholars, regional leaders, and policymakers to GW to discuss and explore important issues from new perspectives,” says Ferrer. “We host from 10 to 25 conferences each year focusing on a wide range of subjects—from country-specific issues, like national elections, Brazil’s energy outlook, and Argentina’s economic prospects, to regional and hemisphere-wide matters, such as the rise in neo-populism in Latin America and the state of U.S. relations with Latin America.” Next on the agenda this fall are a GW-based conference and luncheon on U.S.-Brazil biofuels collaboration and related projects in Bahia, Brazil, featuring a keynote speech by the governor of Bahia. Later in the semester, CLAI will lead a business mission to Bahia to explore collaborative biofuels-based business projects. The trip follows a successful CLAI mission to Peru last fall, in which businessmen examined investment opportunities in the country’s energy sector. CLAI is among the most active institutes of its kind, as well as one of the few that are self-financing, says Ferrer. “We’ve been self-supporting from day one and continue to be,” he states. In addition to receiving substantial funding through the years from Brazilian business leaders, the center was awarded two Title 6 grants from the Department of Education and is currently a partner in a third grant for the FIPSE/CAPES program, a U.S.-Brazilian education agreement to exchange students and professors. This year, CLAI subsidized monthlong study trips to Argentina and Chile for some 30 GW students. “We currently have one student spending the semester in Brazil through the FIPSE/CAPES grant and hope to send three or four more in January,” says Ferrer, who worked for the Department of State for 30 years prior to establishing CLAI, holding positions such as deputy U.S. ambassador and acting ambassador in Brazil. In its quest to support scholarly research on Latin America, the center provides grants to GW faculty and scholars for research-related travel to the region, as well as to produce original working papers on issues affecting Latin America. The papers are published on CLAI’s Web site, along with publications by Minerva graduates, who each write an original paper on a Brazil-related issue. “We maintain a substantial database on Brazil and are currently developing a similar index on Peru,” says Ferrer. “Our papers on Latin America are read by people all over the world. Last time we checked, we were getting over 22,000 hits a month.” As CLAI wraps up its 15th year, Ferrer says it’s been a great ride. “We’re very pleased with what we’ve accomplished so far,” he states. “We believe that we’ve had a considerable impact on Brazil through our programs and that we’ve raised the University’s profile significantly in the hemisphere. Our efforts will continue to grow as we strive to gain universal recognition of GW as a premier center for the study of Latin American policy issues.”
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