home > the cfr think tank > experts > julia e. sweig
Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies
Contact Info:
Phone: +1.202.509.8410
E-mail: jsweig@cfr.org
Location:
Washington, DC
Media downloads:
High-resolution photo (JPG, 1.4 MB)
One-page bio (PDF, 52K)
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Award-winning author of Inside the Cuban Revolution and director of numerous Council-sponsored Task Forces on Latin America. Her latest book Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know was released in June 2009.
Expertise:Latin America; U.S.-Latin America policy; Anti-Americanism.
Experience:Board of Directors, Foreign Affairs en Español (current); consultant on Latin American affairs, Congressional Program, The Aspen Institute (1999-present); Project Director, Center for Preventive Action Commission, Andes 2020: A New Strategy for the Challenges of Colombia and the Region (2004); Director, Independent Task Force, U.S.-Cuban Relations in the 21st Century, A Follow-On Chairman’s Report (2001).
Languages:Spanish (fluent); Italian and Portuguese (familiar).
Honors:Herbert Feis Award for Inside the Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro and the Urban Underground, American Historical Association (2003).
Selected Publications:Friendly Fire: Losing Friends and Making Enemies in the Anti-American Century (PublicAffairs, 2006); Andes 2020: A New Strategy for the Challenges of Colombia and the Region, A Center for Preventive Action Report (Council on Foreign Relations Press, 2004); U.S.-Cuban Relations in the 21st Century, A Follow-On Chairman’s Report, Report of an Independent Task Force (Council on Foreign Relations Press, 2001); Inside the Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro and the Urban Underground (Harvard University Press, 2002).
Television Interviews:
Business News Network: Cuba-U.S. Relations (July 17, 2009)
Comedy Central, The Colbert Report: Cuba/U.S. Trade Relations (May 12, 2009)
Current Research Projects
Past Research Projects
January 21, 2010
Audio
Listen to experts discuss current and future U.S.-Cuba relations.
See more in Cuba
Thursday, January 21, 2010, New York
Transcript
Cuba experts Carlos A. Saladrigas and Julia E. Sweig discuss U.S.-Cuba relations and the potential for change in the near future.
See more in Cuba
January 21, 2010
Video
Watch experts discuss current and future U.S.-Cuba relations.
See more in Cuba
January 12, 2010
Interview
The Obama administration's missteps on the Honduran coup and Colombia have frustrated Latin American states hoping for fresh U.S. policies, says CFR's Julia Sweig.
See more in United States, South America, U.S. Strategy and Politics
June 2009
Book
In this compact reference guide, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba’s unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
See more in Cuba, Culture and Foreign Policy
May 3, 2009
Op-Ed
Washington Post
Julia E. Sweig argues that the costs of maintaining the base at Guantanamo Bay outweigh the benefits.
See more in Cuba, U.S. Strategy and Politics
April 9, 2009
Video
Watch experts separate reality from rhetoric and discuss the goals of the upcoming Fifth Summit of the Americas, which is themed "Securing Our Citizens' Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability."
See more in Americas, Economic Development, Energy/Environment
April 9, 2009
Audio
Listen to experts separate reality from rhetoric and discuss the goals of the upcoming Fifth Summit of the Americas, which is themed "Securing Our Citizens’ Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability."
See more in Americas, Economic Development, Energy/Environment, Narcotics Control
January/February 2009
Article
Cigar Aficionado
Julia E. Sweig provides a road map for President Obama to improve relations between the United States and Cuba.
See more in Cuba, United States
March 9, 2009
Interview
Julia E. Sweig, CFR's director of Latin American studies, says ties between Washington and Havana may change, but the United States has been downplaying expectations of a breakthrough.
See more in Cuba, United States, U.S. Strategy and Politics
March 2, 2009
Op-Ed
National Interest Online
Julia E. Sweig explains that U.S, relations with Latin America will be drastically different. She argues that the Obama administration "must endeavor to see the hemisphere as it is and not through the lazy filters of "best-friendism," wishful thinking or demonization."
See more in Central America, Mexico, South America
November 17, 2008
Expert Brief
CFR's Latin America Studies Program outlines the implications of the global financial crisis for Latin America.
See more in Americas, Central America, South America, Economics, Emerging Markets, International Finance
September 12, 2008
Audio
Listen to experts discuss U.S.-Latin America trade policies including CAFTA-DR, NAFTA, and farm subsidies.
This symposium was made possible by the generous support of the Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
See more in Americas, NAFTA, Trade
July 2, 2008
Op-Ed
Washington Independent
Colombia’s role in the War on Drugs and its potential as a free trade partner makes it a lucrative part of John McCain’s foreign policy, writes Julia Sweig.
See more in Colombia
May 2008
Task Force Report No. 60
Task Force Report
This report recommends reframing U.S. policy around four critical areas—poverty and inequality, public security, migration, and energy security—that are of immediate concern to Latin America’s governments and citizens. This report is also available in Spanish.
See more in Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America, U.S. Strategy and Politics
April 10, 2008
Testimony
See more in Andean Region, Congress and Foreign Policy, U.S. Election 2008
January 24, 2008
Podcast
Julia E. Sweig, CFR's director for Latin America Studies, says a new U.S. president offers a chance to improve Washington’s relations with Cuba.
See more in Cuba, U.S. Strategy and Politics
February 19, 2008
Audio
Listen to experts discuss the implications of Fidel Castro's announcement that he will step down as the president of Cuba.
February 19, 2008
Transcript
The panelists discuss what the resignation of Fidel Castro means for Cuba and the future for U.S.-Cuba relations.
See more in Cuba, United States
November 5, 2007
Transcript
As part of the Council's Latin American Studies Program, the panels discuss globalization and trade in Latin America and Asia.
See more in South America, Asia, Economics, Trade
Explore the international oceans regime with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
This report explores how international legal rules regarding military force might evolve to better meet the challenges of mass atrocities.
The authors of this CSR explain why the United States needs to place greater emphasis on preventive action and how current organizational arrangements can be changed to meet that need.
This report addresses pan-Asian and trans-Pacific architectures and guidelines for how the United States can revise its approach in order to consolidate and improve the efficacy of these Asian institutions.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
Through compelling analysis and rich historical examples that span the globe and range from the thirteenth century through the present, Charles A. Kupchan explores how adversaries can transform enmity into amity, and exposes prevalent myths about the causes of peace.
With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine Israel's adversity-driven culture to offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
Vali Nasr reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
Complete list of CFR Books
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
James M. Lindsay
Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
+1.212.434.9626 (NY); +1.202.509.8405 (DC)
jlindsay@cfr.org
Janine Hill
Deputy Director of Studies Administration
+1.212.434.9753
jhill@cfr.org
