Colombia & the United States at a Crossroads: A Conversation with President Alvaro Uribe

May 2, 2007, 1:00pm – 2:30pm

About This Event

In the coming weeks and months, the United States Congress faces decisions on the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement and the future of support for the fifth largest recipient of U.S. assistance in the world. Recent developments in Colombia, one of the longest-standing allies of the United States in the Americas, including the on-going investigation into ties between paramilitary organizations and sectors of Colombia's governing class have raised questions regarding the future direction of U.S. policy toward Colombia. In a spirit of open communication, The Americas Project at the Center for American Progress is pleased to host a conversation with His Excellency Alvaro Uribe, President of Colombia, about these and other issues that shape the relationship between two of the most closely interconnected countries in the Americas.

Location

Center for American Progress
1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

Biographies

Alvaro Uribe was re-elected President of the Republic of Colombia, May 28, 2006 with 7,363,421 votes constituting 62 percent of the vote.

President Uribe was born July 4, 1952 in Medellin, capital of the department of Antioquia. He is married to Lina Uribe. They have two sons: Tomas and Jeronimo. Uribe holds a degree in law from the Universidad de Antioquia and a post-graduate degree in Management and Administration from Harvard University. From 1998 to 1999 after being awarded the Simon Bolivar fellowship by the British Council in Bogota, he worked as an associate professor at Oxford University.

Uribe went into public service at a very young age. In 1976 he became head of the Real Estate Office of the Public Works Department of Medellin. From 1977 to 1978 he was Secretary General of the Labor Ministry and from 1980 to 1982, head of the Civil Aviation Department.

He was the mayor of his native city of Medellin in 1982 and later, from 1984 to 1986, he was elected city councilor. Uribe was elected governor of the department of Antioquia for the 1995-1997 period, during which he developed a model of community participation in key government decisions such as the creation of new jobs, education, public procurement and security, which he called Community State.

He was elected Senator for the periods 1986-1990 and 1990-1994, terms during which he received the Star Senator, Senator with the Best Programs and Best Senator awards.

In May 2002, Uribe was elected President for the period of 2002-2006.

The Americas Project at the Center for American Progress is focused on the United States' relationship with and place in the Americas. The United States is in the midst of dramatic changes that will profoundly affect its future and are manifest both in the rapid growth of its Latino population and the ever-increasing interconnections with its neighbors throughout the Americas. Through rigorous research and open collaboration, The Americas Project seeks to more fully explore and understand those changes, the relationships among them, and their implications for progressive policy abroad and at home. The Americas Project endeavors to formulate innovative policy recommendations to address those changing realities and, through active engagement of all forms of media, effectively communicate its proposals to a wide range of audiences.