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JANUARY 15, 2026 |
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Harvard Kennedy School | | | |
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Supporters of the opposition party Plataforma Unitaria coalition attend to an official campaign kickoff rally ahead presidential election on July 4, 2024 in Caracas, Venezuela. (Photo by Marcelo Perez del Carpio/Getty Images) | | |
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International Relations & Security |
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Venezuela after Maduro: Experts discuss what's next |
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In the wake of the United States’ dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the Kennedy School convened scholars, public servants, and political leaders for a discussion of this complex moment. Panelists included Freddy Guevara MC/MPA 2024, a fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation; HKS Professor Ricardo Hausmann, director of the Growth Lab; Rebecca Bill Chavez, president and CEO of the Inter-American Dialogue; and Juan Gonzalez, resident fellow at Georgetown Americas Institute. In a conversation moderated by interim Institute of Politics Co-director Ned Price, the speakers reflected on possible paths to democracy in Venezuela and what obstacles lie ahead. Guevara, who is a Venezuelan opposition activist in exile, said, “I want to ask for empathy for Venezuelans. For us, this is not a discussion about legal frameworks or institutions, or theoretical frameworks. This is about real life, torture, imprisonment, exile, families broken apart, a country held hostage for more than 25 years.”
See also: Experts from the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs share their takes on U.S. intervention in Venezuela.
Learn more about International Relations & Security at HKS » | | |
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What we're watching |
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Oliver Stuenkel, a fellow at the Belfer Center, analyzes the situation in Venezuela shortly after Maduro’s ouster. | | |
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Democracy & Governance |
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Democracy in 2025: Harvard professors on rising authoritarianism in the United States |
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HKS Professor Erica Chenoweth and Harvard Professor Steven Levitsky named what they saw as the top signs of democratic backsliding in the United States in 2025, as well as key moments of “democratic defense,” in the third session of their webinar series on the changing state of the United States’ democracy. Chenoweth and Levitsky talked about the role of the courts and Congress, the federal government’s use of force to quell domestic dissent, and other trends they thought indicated democratic backsliding. At the same time, both experts pointed to instances in which Americans rallied towards democracy, including grassroots mobilization and public resistance to television host Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension.
Learn more about Democracy & Governance at HKS » | | |
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What we're Doing |
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Shuming Wang MPA/MBA 2026 and Nicholas Mut-Tracy Carrillo MPA/MBA 2027 work with the incoming mayor's team in Edinburg, Texas, as part of Transition Term—a program run through the Taubman Center where HKS students gain experience in the offices of new administrations across the country. | | | | | |
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Media |
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Understanding the shifting media landscape |
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Professor Nancy Gibbs, a former editor in chief of Time, spoke about the shifting media landscape in a webinar hosted by Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education. She explained that we are experiencing an “information emergency” due not only to dis- and misinformation but also to the way audiences consume news today, the emergence of AI, and the mistrust of public institutions. “Across generations, political ideologies, regions, and even households, individuals are effectively living in separate information universes,” she said. Gibbs teaches an executive education course, “Leading through the Changing Media Landscape,” which starts next week.
Learn more about Media at HKS » | | |
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What we're Reading |
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Research by Professor Iris Bohnet shows self-evaluations can skew managers’ performance ratings and workers’ race and gender can influence the process. | | |
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