YPA Cafecito: Colombian Elections Debrief

On June 21, Colombians narrowly elected Abelardo de la Espriella as their next president, choosing a right-wing outsider over Iván Cepeda's bid to continue President Gustavo Petro's leftist project. The margin was razor-thin: less than one percentage point. This reflected a polarized race that has opened up questions about governability, security policy, and Colombia's relationship with Washington.

Join Young Professionals of the Americas for an off-the-record roundtable to unpack what happened and what comes next. In an intimate, conversational setting, analyst Will Freeman and members will dig into the result together. What drove the swing to the right? What can be expected from the opposition? And, what might a de la Espriella presidency could mean for security policy, the economy, and U.S.-Colombia relations?

The conversation will be followed by a drinks reception.

This event will be both in-person and streamed. For in-person attendance, members receive complimentary access to this event, while non-member tickets are $10. Virtual attendance is free.

Register.

Speaker:

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Will Freeman is a fellow for Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). His work focuses on the rule of law, corruption and organized crime in Latin America, as well as U.S.-Latin America relations. His writing has appeared in Foreign Affairs, the New York Times, the Financial Times, Americas Quarterly, the Economist, the Journal of Democracy, and the Washington Post. Prior to joining CFR, Dr. Freeman was a Fulbright-Hays Scholar in Colombia, Peru, and Guatemala, where he researched judiciaries’ efforts to sanction grand corruption. During his graduate studies, Dr. Freeman also worked with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Western Hemisphere subcommittee. He holds a PhD and MA in politics from Princeton University and a BA in political science from Tufts University. 

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