The Baker Institute Latin America Initiative (LAI) recently hosted a lecture and panel discussion on the critical connection between a secure Central America and a prosperous Western Hemisphere. The participants included former Guatemalan Vice President Eduardo Stein Barillas, who discussed current conditions in the region; Virginia Trujillo of the global utilities company AES El Salvador, who explored how insecurity undermines economic growth and opportunities for public-private cooperation; and Thomas W. Ward of the University of Southern California, who examined the role of transnational gangs.
The event was part of the LAI’s Vecinos Lecture Series, which features Latin American experts addressing an array of topics important to the region.
View the April 23, 2012, event “Security in Central America: Outlook and Options,” above.