On Monday, November 5, the Perry Center kicked off the Washington Security and Defense Seminar (WSDS). This annual course educates members of the Latin American and Caribbean diplomatic community in Washington, DC on US strategies and policies. Nearly 70 participants from 22 countries will attend the five day event directed by Professor Patrick Paterson.

The 2018 version of the course is a bit different from previous iterations. Each day consists of two panels: the first focused on US global strategy and the second focused on US policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean. In this manner, the participants get to hear from experts about the macro policy of the US and then get to see how that is applied to the nations of the Western Hemisphere.

For example, the first panel on the first day addressed US foreign policy and the second panel examined US foreign policy toward the region. Similarly, the second day will address US military strategy across the globe followed by US defense and security perspectives toward Latin America and the Caribbean.