CLAS Hosts Lecture by Juan Carlos Pinzón, Ambassador of Colombia to the U.S.
On April 19, 2022, Boston University’s Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), an affiliated center of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, hosted Juan Carlos Pinzón, Ambassador of Colombia to the United States, for a lecture on “The Bicentennial of the U.S.-Colombia Relationship: Continued Opportunities for Partnership and Growth.”
The well-attended event featured an audience of BU faculty and students as well as multiple members of Boston’s diplomatic corps, including multiple consul generals. Adil Najam, Dean of the Pardee School, delivered opening remarks followed by Rady Roldán-Figueroa – Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Associate Professor of the History of Christianity and CLAS Director – who kicked off the lecture by introducing the ambassador and the topic of his remarks.
In commemoration of the bicentennial of diplomatic relations between Colombia and the U.S., Ambassador Pinzón gave a comprehensive presentation on the history and current state of U.S.-Colombian relations and the political challenges both countries face. He remarked that Colombia was the first country in Latin America to establish diplomatic relations with the U.S. and discussed what the future may hold for the two countries. The Ambassador’s remarks were followed by an insightful and frank conversation with the audience, which was led by Jorge Heine, a Research Professor at the Pardee School and former ambassador of Chile to China, India, and South Africa.
Pinzón was sworn in as Ambassador of Colombia to the U.S. by President Iván Duque on July 26, 2021. He previously served as Colombia’s Ambassador to Washington from 2015 to 2017. During his tenure, he oversaw the approval of “Peace Colombia or Plan Colombia II,” which increased the U.S. funding package for security and development. Additionally, he helped establish the “CEO U.S.-Colombia Business Council” at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Atlantic Council’s “Colombia Task Force” with the report on the future of the U.S.-Colombia relationship. Prior to that, Ambassador Pinzón served as Minister of Defense of Colombia for nearly four years. Under his leadership, the Colombian Armed Forces dealt the most severe blows in history to terrorist organizations – FARC and ELN – and Criminal Bands, highly degrading their logistics, structure, and leadership. By the end of his period, he left the Armed Forces at its historical peak in manpower, capabilities, welfare, technology, and budget. For more on Ambassador Pinzón, visit the Embassy of Colombia’s website.
CLAS provides students with a versatile and powerful vehicle to develop an in-depth and interdisciplinary understanding of the Latin American region. The program offers students a wide variety of regionally-focused courses in Latin America, which are taught by a range of academic departments. The interdisciplinary nature of the program provides the necessary breadth and depth for students to understand the complexities and remarkable diversity of Latin America, defined as the 20 independent countries in the Western Hemisphere south of the United States with Spanish, French, or Portuguese as their official languages. Learn more about this center on the CLAS website.