US Journalist Steve Clemons Gives Engaging Talk on the US Strategy in the Caribbean on Security and Migration Issues

The discussion led by guest speaker US journalist Steve Clemons on security and migration issues was part of his visit to the Dominican Republic to talk about political polarization in the United States, its polarization and the upcoming US Presidential Election. The dialogue was the result of a collaborative effort between Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) and the Research Center for Sociological
Studies (CIES) of Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) and included the participation of the most prominent Dominican historians, sociologists and journalists, among them CIES Vice President, Wilfredo Lozano; Milagros Ortíz Bosch, Frank Moya Pons, Fernando Ferrán, Aníbal de Castro, Bernardo Vega, Flavio Darío Espinal, Julia Castillo, Fausto Rosario, Todd Haskell, Marco Herrera and Asunción Sanz.

The engaging exchange on different aspects shaping US strategy regarding
issues of security and migration in the Caribbean ran for almost two hours. Historical factors such as Cold War geopolitics, the sudden fragmentation of the global economy and its implications on US-Latin American and Caribbean affairs, along with the extreme political polarization being experienced in the US have blurred existing blue prints regarding US strategy on Caribbean security and migration.

All participants agreed that, regretfully, the attention of the US
vacillates between crises, shifting as soon as a new crisis emerges, rather than establishing policy that addresses the origins of conflicts and stimulates substantive change. Such constant flux was seen by many as an opportunity for countries like the Dominican Republic to take the lead and set the agenda. In this ever-changing world, small countries have had a much larger impact than expected. As mentioned by Steve Clemons, smaller countries like the Scandinavian countries that have
effectively been able to insert their ideas within the global arena, can serve as examples for other small countries. The presence of a large, capable and engaged Dominican diaspora in the US offers a good chance to follow the steps of other organizations like the powerful American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a model being successfully followed by some Muslim groups.

The group agreed that the energy displayed in many Dominican gatherings in large US cities
like New York and Boston should set the precedent for both US political representatives and Dominican leaders to formulate a new agenda of priorities.

GFDD and FUNGLODE are proud to present to audiences in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere the opportunity to discuss pressing global issues with informed experts, opinion makers and other counterparts.

About Steve Clemons
Steve Clemons is the founder of the American
Strategy Program at the New America Foundation. He is currently a Senior Fellow at New America, of which he previously served as Executive Vice President, and remains actively involved in the direction of the American Strategy Program.

Publisher of the popular political blog The Washington Note, Mr. Clemons is a long-term policy practitioner and entrepreneur in Washington, D.C. He has served as Executive Vice President of the Economic
Strategy Institute, Senior Policy Advisor on Economic and International Affairs to Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and was the first Executive Director of the Nixon Center. He has also been a part of the Center””s Advisory Committee on United States – Japan relations for the RAND Corporation. Previously, Mr. Clemons was the Executive Director of the Japan America Society of Southern California (1987-1994).

Prior to moving to Washington, Mr. Clemons served for seven years
as Executive Director of the Japan America Society of Southern California, and co-founded with Chalmers Johnson the Japan Policy Research Institute. He is a Member of the Board of the Clarke Center at Dickinson College, a liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pa., as well as an Advisory Board Member of the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College in Chestertown, Md. He is also a Board Member of the Global Policy Innovations Program at the Carnegie Council
on Ethics and International Affairs and is on the advisory board of the Robert Bosch Foundation Alumni Association.

Mr. Clemons writes frequently on matters of foreign policy, defense, and international economic policy. His work has appeared in many of the major leading op-ed pages, journals and magazines around the world.

In 1993, Mr. Clemons served as Technical Advisor for the film Rising Sun, starring Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes. Mr. Clemons has
also served as the host of news programs and played a role in the film State of Play, starring Ben Affleck.

Related links:
www.funglode.org
www.globalfoundationdd.org
http://www.lalupa.com.do/

http://www.acento.com.do/
http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/
http://events.theatlantic.com/
http://www.theatlantic.com/