On Tuesday, September 29, 2020, the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies hosted day two of its annual Washington Security and Defense Seminar (WSDS). Panelists focused on US foreign and regional policy, opening with Dr. Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Dr. Eliot Cohen, Dean of the School of Advanced and International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, who discussed globalization and US role in the international world order. Ambassadors Tom Shannon and Roger Noriega closed out the day by addressing regional policy issues such as the importance and interconnectedness of the Western Hemisphere, US Western Hemisphere Strategic Framework, Venezuela crisis, China engagement, and transnational organized crime.

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, Professor Celina Realuyo, and Mr. Walter Earle.