Alexander Hamilton Society hosts Experts on international relations as they discuss Venezuela’s current political climate

Students interested in foreign politics made their way to the Hancock Welcome Center Thursday Feb. 27, hoping to learn more about Venezuelan politics from experts in the field. 

The Alexander Hamilton Society at Liberty hosted an evening with Ryan Berg of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and Liberty professor Dr. Thomas Metallo titled “Adapting U.S. Policy in Venezuela.”

Berg was called upon to discuss the crisis in Venezuela because of his knowledge in the field. The event was created to debate whether the United States should be more involved with the issues in countries like Venezuela or stay out of them completely. 

Berg spoke in depth on the humanitarian crisis faced by Venezuela’s citizens.

Joshua Schauer, the press secretary for the Alexander Hamilton Society, enjoyed listening to Berg’s experiences and opinions. Schauer said he believes students should be informed about crises in other countries.

The role America plays in other countries’ decisions particularly stuck out to Rebekah Pryor, the president of the Alexander Hamilton Society at Liberty. 

“A lot of times if the U.S. doesn’t respond to something, other countries will write it off because they don’t see it as pertinent,” Pryor said. “However, it’s very important in our lives, especially with the election coming up. With our president and his cabinet, how they choose to deal with those conflicts does directly affect us even if we don’t realize it. It affects how our economy is and how our jobs are and even our education.”

According to the AEI website, Berg is a fellow that works in crime, narcotics and networks. He has experience as a research consultant at the World Bank, was a 2017 Fulbright scholar and is a 2016 visiting doctoral fellow of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.  He is also an Oxford graduate and has been published in The National Review, The Washington Examiner and The Hill. 

“(International Relations) is one of those things where it’s a really complicated issue and people don’t like to get involved. But I know a lot of people don’t find it that interesting because they find it to be very divisive,” Pryor said. 

Slaughter is a news reporter. Follow her on Twitter.

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