Americas Program – Expert Q&As

Feb. 20, 2008
Access to Information:  A Fundamental Right
An expert Q&A with Laura Neuman, J.D., Assistant Director, Americas Program and Access to Information Project manager.

May 31, 2007
Venezuela RCTV Station Closure
An expert Q&A with Americas Program Director Jennifer McCoy  (Spanish follows English version).

April 4, 2006
Political Finance Reform and Media Mapping: An Expert Q&A With Shelley McConnell
In this Q&A, Dr. Shelley McConnell, senior associate director of the Carter Center's Americas Program, discusses the groundbreaking media mapping project: its impetus, implementation, and hoped-for impact on democratization in the Americas.

Aug. 1, 2005
Q&A with Jennifer McCoy, Ph.D., Director of the Americas Program
Fourteen presidents have resigned or were removed from office prematurely in the last two decades. What does this means for Latin American democracy? Governments have had a difficult time addressing the needs of the people, particularly low-income and marginalized peoples. As a result, satisfaction with democratic performance is eroding, even while support for the principles of democracy remains strong.

April 11, 2005
A Key to Democracy: Access to Information Critical for Citizens, Governments
Access to information is one of the keys to democracy. Allowing people to seek and receive public documents serves as a critical tool for fighting corruption, allowing citizens to more fully participate in public life, making governments more efficient, encouraging investment, and helping persons exercise their fundamental human rights. For this reason, The Carter Center is actively involved with governments and civil society partners around the world, currently focusing on three Latin American countries, in the implementation of access to information policies. In this Q&A, the Carter Center's Laura Neuman, senior program associate of the Americas Program, shares her insights.

Feb. 26, 2005
Democracy and Dialogue: Venezuela Election Q&A
At the conclusion of the Carter Center's work to help resolve Venezuela's political crisis, Dr. Jennifer McCoy, director of the Center's Americas Program, traveled to Caracas Feb. 24, 2005, to present the Center's final report on the presidential referendum process. Before leaving, she and former Carter Center Caracas Representative Francisco Diez talked about the Center's work there for the past two and a half years and the future of Venezuela.

Oct. 28, 2004
Expert Q&A: The 2004 U.S. Elections
Dr. Carroll and Dr. McCoy direct the Carter Center's efforts to advance democracy worldwide through international election observation, strengthening the role of civil society in government policy-making, promoting rule of law, and fostering transparency and government accountability. They have managed and conducted dozens of election observations in the past 15 years. The Democracy Program is currently taking the lead with the U.N. Electoral Assistance Division and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, to draft principles and a code of conduct for election observation worldwide, with input from all major election observation organizations.

June 3, 2002
Dr. Jennifer McCoy Reflects on The Carter Center's Mission to Cuba
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter made history in May 2002 as the first United States president, former or sitting, to visit Cuba since Fidel Castro assumed power in 1959. Among those accompanying him on The Carter Center delegation was Dr. Jennifer McCoy (pictured at left with Cuban healthcare workers), director of the Americas Program at The Carter Center and associate professor of political science at Georgia State University. A special trip de-briefing with Dr. McCoy follows.

May 14, 2002
Q&A with President Carter at the University of Havana
A transcript of President Carter's question and answer session with students and faculty at the University of Havana.