His Excellency David A. Granger, the President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, visited the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies and served as special guest speaker at the graduation ceremony for the Caribbean Security and Defense Course (CDSC). The CDSC is a six-week security and defense course focused on the Caribbean region. This year’s course started its distance-learning phase on June 15, 2015, and the in-person phase, with 49 students from 17 countries, started on July 13 and ends with today’s ceremony.

President Granger is a former Perry Center student (DPRM-English in June 2000) and was a Perry Center adjunct professor through June 2010.

In his remarks, President Granger spoke of how his experiences at the Perry Center, both as a student, as well as an adjunct faculty member, helped him become a regional leader. He also spoke about the importance of collective regional security mechanisms to help in the fight against transnational threats, including terrorism and the trafficking of drugs, persons, and weapons.

At the conclusion of the graduation ceremony, President Granger exchanged gifts with the Perry Center Director, Mr. Mark Wilkins. All of the graduates of the CDSC course received copies of His Excellency’s Book, titled Caribbean Geopolitics: Security, Stability, and Sovereignty in Small States.