Topic Discussion: Cuba
Speaker: Shelley McConnell, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor of Government, Hamilton CollegeSince Fidel Castro handed over the presidency of Cuba to his brother, Raúl in early 2008, signs of greater economic openness have led to much speculation. Will Raúl seek to reopen ties with the U.S.? What role will Cuba's American exiles play in shaping a post-Castro Cuba?
About the speaker:
Shelley A. McConnell, visiting assistant professor of government, is a specialist on Latin American political development and inter-American relations. She earned her bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Wellesley College, and her master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University. She previously taught at Bard College and Emory University. McConnell has served as senior associate director of the Americas Program at The Carter Center, where she worked with former presidents and prime ministers to carry out election observation missions, projects on political finance and the media, and conflict management interventions. She has also worked for the United Nations and the Inter-American Dialogue. Her primary research focus is democratization in Nicaragua, and she is currently conducting research on international norms of democracy in the inter-American system.