MEDIA RELEASES

Dominican University is presenting “Latin America at the Crossroads,” a debate on Latin American social and economic development, on Thursday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Priory Campus, 7200 W. Division Street, River Forest.

The debate will feature Dr. Isaac Cohen, former Washington, DC director of the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and Dr. Raul Moreno, professor of economics at the University of El Salvador. Dr. Cohen, who has advised the government of Guatemala on international free trade agreements with the United States and the European Union, is a supporter of free trade. Dr. Moreno works with nongovernmental organizations and policy groups in Latin America to analyze the impact of free trade policies on the poor. He is a supporter of fair trade.

Free trade has recently reappeared as an issue in the 2008 US presidential election. But in Latin America, the issue has never gone away. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which removed trade barriers to encourage the free flow of goods, services and finance, was signed in 1994 by the US, Canada and Mexico. The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) was signed in 2005 by the US, Central America and Dominican Republic. However, the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA), which was intended to bring all of Latin America into a comprehensive trade agreement with the US, was criticized and ultimately rejected in 2005 by several countries, including Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Bolivia, because they felt that the free trade model threatened their sovereignty, harmed workers, and exasperated the gap between the rich and the poor.

In this debate, Drs. Cohen and Moreno will discuss the differences between free and fair trade and share their ideas for improving the social and economic development of Latin American countries and for addressing the economic inequalities of their citizens.

For more information on this free program, please contact Dr. Christina Perez, assistant professor of sociology at Dominican University, at 708-524-6693.