Panelists:

• Patrick Gage, Director of Development, Scalabrini International Migration Network 
• Lara Setrakian, Founder, News Deeply 
• Christine Mendonça, CEO and Co-Founder, Humans on the Move

In a AS/COA conversation in New York about Venezuela's migration crisis, which the panelists agreed can now be called a "refugee crisis," experts discussed why the international community hasn't done more to respond to the situation. The panelists shared data and anedoctes on the current flow of migrants and agreed on what Lara Setrakian called "a higher level of solidarity in Latin America than in many regions."

Panelistas:

• Asdrúbal Oliveros, Director and Partner, Ecoanalítica
• Luisa Palacios, Managing Director for Latin America, Medley Global Advisors
• David Smolansky, Exiled former Mayor of El Hatillo, Venezuela
• Brian Winter, Editor-in-Chief of Americas Quarterly; Vice President of Policy at AS/COA (moderator)

Días previos a la elección del 20 de mayo, tres destacados panelistas analizaron el panorama económico y político en Venezuela—y lo que le espera al país en el futuro. En el panel el 14 de mayo en Nueva York, los expertos hablaron de las condiciones necesarias para que salga Nicolás Maduro del poder, las expectativas de las elecciones ilegítimas que se aproximan, y los desafíos que enfrenta el país cuando llegue al punto de reconstrucción.

• Lea la última edición de la revista de Americas Quarterly sobre Venezuela.
• Aprenda sobre el grupo de trabajo de AS/COA de Venezuela.

Speakers:

• Colin Crowell, Vice President, Global Public Policy & Corporate Philanthropy, Twitter 
• Rodrigo Diamanti, Director, Un Mundo Sin Mordaza 
• Daniel Wilkinson, Managing Director for the Americas, Human Rights Watch 
• Raúl Stolk, Lawyer and Writer; Chairman, Caracas Chronicles (moderator)

Fake news is a problem, but the truth can spread just as quickly, Twitter's Colin Crowell said in a panel that started with a discussion on the importance of citizen journalists in Venezuela. Human Rights Watch's Daniel Wilkinson explained how Venezuelan citizens' active use of social media and videos is crucial to document human rights violations today. For Rodrigo Diamanti of Un Mundo sin Mordaza, the International Criminal Court's decision in February to open a preliminary investigation into human rights abuses by the Maduro government is "the best thing that has happened to Venezuela in the last five years." Diamanti also said that one of his greatest concerns is that the Maduro regime is moving toward cutting off the internet entirely in the country in the interest of self-preservation, and he urged the international community to move proactively to safeguard the internet before that could happen.

Panelistas:

• José Domingo Mujica, Coordinador Nacional, Red de Observación Electoral
• Juan Manuel Raffalli, Profesor UCAB, UMA & IESA
• Raúl Stolk, Chairman, Caracas Chronicles (moderador)

"Habrá un cambio político muy pronto en Venezuela. La gente no está dispuesta a perder a su país", dijo el abogado Juan Manuel Raffalli sobre la crisis agravada por las decisiones del gobierno de Nicolás Maduro. Durante un evento en Miami el 13 de julio, expertos discutieron las consecuencias de una nueva asamblea constituyente y el riesgo de una potencial reforma de la constitución venezolana.

Panelistas

• Marianela Balbi, Executive Director, IPYS Venezuela
• Rafael Uzcátegui, General Manager, Provea
• Nathan Crooks, Venezuela Bureau Chief, Bloomberg News (moderator)

En un evento en Miami el 13 de julio, líderes de la sociedad civil hablaron de la crisis humanitaria en Venezuela, el aumento de la pobreza en el país y las barreras a la expresión y la comunicación. Marianela Balbi, quien explicó que el gobierno tienes datos sobre mortalidad materna e inflación que no hace públicos, dijo que cada vez más los venezolanos usan mensajes encriptados por temor a la censura.

Panelists:

• Diego Ferro, Co-Chief Investment Officer, Greylock Capital
• Siobhan Morden, Managing Director, Head of Latin America Fixed Income Strategy, Nomura Securities International
• Casey E. Reckman, Director, Emerging Markets Economics, Credit Suisse
• José Enrique Arrioja, Editor-at-Large, Latin America, Bloomberg (moderator)

Will the Venezuelan government and the state-owned oil firm PDVSA be able to make their April bond payments? Do they have the cash flow to avoid default in 2017? Is there a rational argument to making these billion-dollar payments as import levels plummet? Is political change a prerequisite to economic recovery? Panelists discussed these and other questions about the country's turbulent situation.

• Learn about our Venezuela Working Group.

Speakers:

• Alejandro Grisanti, Economist and former Venezuela Analyst at Barclays
• Armando Briquet, Political Consultant and former Campaign Manager for Henrique Capriles' presidential bid
• Francisco Monaldi, Fellow in Latin American Energy Policy at the Baker Institute, Rice University
• Luz Mely Reyes, Journalist and Founder of Efecto Cocuyo (moderator)

While other oil economies learned from the 1970s crisis, Venezuela didn't and faces an unparalleled economic crisis today that includes catastrophic inflation and a brutal drop in real wages. Economic recovery is possible but will be costly, though less so if groups such as the International Monetary Fund are allowed to step in. Politcally, the opposition has been able to unify and address issues with the other branches of power, said panelists, but democratic progress is slow and will take time.

This event is part of our Venezuela Working Group series.

There's an 80 percent chance Venezuela will default on its bond payments in 2016, estimates Moody's. But Venezuela still has a lot of oil to cash in on. Does a regime change loom? Experts weighed in at an AS/COA panel.

• Watch the video of the full program.
• Listen to our podcast with Moody's Jaime Reusche.
• Learn about our Venezuela Working Group at as-coa.org/venezuela.

Speakers:

• Andrés Pastrana, Former President of Colombia 
• Jorge Quiroga, Former President of Bolivia 
• Moisés Naím, Distinguished Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Chief International Columnist for El Pais and La Repubblica
• Hector Schamis, Adjunct Professor, Center for Latin American Studies, Georgetown University; Columnist for El País
• Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Americas Society/Council of the Americas (moderator)

The opposition won a supermajority in Venezuela's National Assembly on December 6, but the toughest stretch lies ahead due to the country's ailing economy and embattled democracy. Venezuela is "the black eye" of Latin America, said Georgetown's Hector Schamis at a COA panel. Now the opposition must pick a leader in Congress, as well as address the humanitarian crisis and a narco regime, according to former Colombian President Andrés Pastrana. 

(Video begins at 7:50)

Panelistas:

• Luis Vicente León, Presidente, Datanalisis
• Daniel Lansberg-Rodríguez, International Finance Faculty de Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management y columnista para El Nacional
• Francisco Rodríguez, Director y Economista Senior Andino, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
• Andres Schipani, Corresponsal para los Andes, Financial Times (moderador)

El 6 de diciembre Venezuela tendrá elecciones para elegir diputados a la Asamblea Nacional y las encuestas muestran que la oposición ganará una mayoría legislativa. De acuerdo a Francisco Rodríguez la oposición ganaría dos tercios de los curules con solo 18 puntos de ventaja sobre el partido del gobierno. Sin embargo, las encuestas de Datanalisis y otras firmas calculan una ventaja de 25 a 30 puntos, notó Luis Vicente León. Aunque esto significaría un cambio profundo para los chavistas, igualmente será una batalla para la oposición, a quienes les falta definir una agenda, dijó Daniel Lansberg-Rodriguez.

Infographic: Venezuelan Public Opinion ahead of December 6 Elections