On October 1st, the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies hosted day four of its annual Washington Security and Defense Seminar (WSDS). Discussion first focused on cybersecurity, opening with panelists Thomas Wingfield, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, and Lt. Gen. Charles L. Moore, Jr., Deputy Commander at US Cyber Command. The session covered US cybersecurity policy and strategy, the need for convergence and cybersecurity cooperation, options for a multilateral governance framework, and critical role of education for cybersecurity.

The second panel focused on the crisis in Venezuela with renowned guest speakers Elliott Abrams, US Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela, and Dr. Moises Naím, Distinguished Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, addressing the ongoing migration crisis, upcoming Venezuelan elections, and outlooks for democratic transition and economic recovery.

WSDS is a weeklong forum to provide advanced orientation of USG structure, policy, and processes to the local Latin America and Caribbean diplomatic community. Participants have the unique opportunity to hear perspectives from high-level policy experts from the US Government, academic community, and private sector in an academic non-attribution environment facilitated by the Perry Center. WSDS is directed by Professor Patrick Paterson and facilitated by Dr. Fabiana Perera, Dr. Bill Godnick, Dr. Luis Bitencourt, Dr. Boris Saavedra, Dr. David Spencer, Professor Celina Realuyo, and Mr. Walter Earle.