Democracy across the Americas continues to be under threat. Elected leaders have adopted authoritarian tactics, eroding institutional checks and balances, attacking judicial independence, and undermining the legitimacy of electoral systems. Latin America, once a region of democratic promise, now faces rising levels of polarization, weakened rule of law, and growing public distrust in political institutions. As criminal organizations work to influence elections, judicial systems have been politicized and their independence put at risk. What are the common challenges Latin American countries face in confronting impunity, restoring judicial independence, and ensuring accountability? How can the justice system serve as a bulwark against authoritarian drift rather than a tool for its consolidation? The Georgetown Americas Institute is pleased to host a conference examining the complex relationship between democracy, organized crime, and justice in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This event is co-sponsored by the Georgetown University Georgetown Americas Institute and the Georgetown Democracy Initiative in collaboration with FORMA.
Schedule
9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. | Welcome Remarks
Alejandro Werner, Georgetown Americas Institute
Julio Borges, Primero Justicia and FORMA
10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. | Democracy’s Erosion in Latin America
Michael Stott, Financial Times
Jose Antonio Aguilar Rivera, CIDE
Monica de Bolle, Peterson Institute for International Economics
Daniel Kerner, Eurasia Group
Moderator: Denisse Yanovich, Georgetown Americas Institute
11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | Coffee Break
11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. | The Impact of Organized Crime on Democracy
Guillermo Trejo, University of Notre Dame
Daniel Mejia, Universidad de los Andes
Angelica Duran Martinez, University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Moderator: Paola Bautista, University of Notre Dame
12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Lunch
1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. | Keynote Conversation with President Felipe Calderon and Michael Stott: Organized Crime and the Democratic Future of the Region
Felipe Calderon, Former President, Mexico
Michael Stott, Financial Times
2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Defending Democracy: Constitutional Design, Opposition Politics, and Civil Society Action
Tom Ginsburg, University of Chicago (virtual)
Denisse Dresser, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México
Javier Corrales, Amherst College
Moderator: Diana Kapiszewski, Georgetown University
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. | Coffee Break
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Democratic Backsliding and the Independence of the Judicial System
Ana Laura Magaloni, Magaloni Abogados
Manuel Melendez Sanchez, University of Notre Dame
Diego Zambrano, Stanford University (virtual)
Moderator: Juan Miguel Matheus, Monte Avila University
5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Closing Conversation: Democracy and the Liberal Spirit
David Walsh, Catholic University of America
Moderator: Julio Borges, Primero Justicia and FORMA
5:30 p.m. | Closing Reception