Newspaper Article - Harvard Crimson
Former Colombian President Iván Duque Discusses Resurgent Left Wing in Latin America at Kennedy School Event
Former Colombian President Iván Duque discussed Latin America’s resurgent left wing and advocated for environmental action at the Harvard Kennedy School on Thursday afternoon.
The event, moderated by Paula J. Dobriansky, a former U.S. ambassador and a Belfer Center senior fellow, drew more than 100 Harvard affiliates to the Kennedy School’s Starr Auditorium where Duque spoke and took audience questions for more than 90 minutes.
Duque, who served as Colombia’s president from 2018 to 2022, left office earlier this summer after leftist presidential candidate and longtime rival Gustavo Petro won election on a platform of combating economic inequality. Latin America’s six largest economies will all be run by left-wing leaders once Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva takes office on Jan. 1, cementing the region’s left-wing shift.
Duque, however, said he does not believe the current political arguments in the region are based on political ideology.
“For me, it is not a debate between right and left,” he said. “I think the debates that I see are between right and wrong, which is about the policies and how do you embrace the public policies and how the policies contribute to the benefits of society.”
“This is not the first time that we see a red Latin America,” Duque added.
Duque, who was elected to the presidency on a right-wing platform, said he is most worried about “demagogy decisions” that generate instability and uncertainty.
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Former Colombian President Iván Duque discussed Latin America’s resurgent left wing and advocated for environmental action at the Harvard Kennedy School on Thursday afternoon.
The event, moderated by Paula J. Dobriansky, a former U.S. ambassador and a Belfer Center senior fellow, drew more than 100 Harvard affiliates to the Kennedy School’s Starr Auditorium where Duque spoke and took audience questions for more than 90 minutes.
Duque, who served as Colombia’s president from 2018 to 2022, left office earlier this summer after leftist presidential candidate and longtime rival Gustavo Petro won election on a platform of combating economic inequality. Latin America’s six largest economies will all be run by left-wing leaders once Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva takes office on Jan. 1, cementing the region’s left-wing shift.
Duque, however, said he does not believe the current political arguments in the region are based on political ideology.
“For me, it is not a debate between right and left,” he said. “I think the debates that I see are between right and wrong, which is about the policies and how do you embrace the public policies and how the policies contribute to the benefits of society.”
“This is not the first time that we see a red Latin America,” Duque added.
Duque, who was elected to the presidency on a right-wing platform, said he is most worried about “demagogy decisions” that generate instability and uncertainty.
Want to Read More?
The full text of this publication is available via The Harvard Crimson.- Recommended
- In the Spotlight
- Most Viewed
Recommended
Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
The UN High Seas Treaty in the Arctic Context
Analysis & Opinions - Foreign Policy
The Real Risk of the China Select Committee
Analysis & Opinions - The Atlantic
The Secret Service's Day of Reckoning Approaches
In the Spotlight
Most Viewed
Paper
India's Foreign Policy
Analysis & Opinions - Project Syndicate
What Caused the Ukraine War?
Analysis & Opinions - New Straits Times
Gorbachev and the End of the Cold War