Latin America Scholar Examines "Destructive" U.S. Behavior in Lawrence Lecture

APPLETON, WIS. -- An Ohio University political scientist will discuss what he labels "the destructive and dysfunctional" behavior of the United States in Latin America in a Lawrence University Main Hall Forum.

Thomas Walker, professor of political science and director of Latin American studies at Ohio University, presents "Latin America in the Talons of the Eagle: Reflections of a Grumpy, Old Academic," Monday, March 11 at 4:15 p.m. in Main Hall, Room 202. The event is free and open to the public.

A former Peace Corps volunteer in Columbia, Walker will draw on his nearly four decades of involvement with Latin America, focusing on his belief that U.S. behavior in that region often has been counterproductive and destructive. He will discuss U.S. complicity in the murder and disappearance of more than 400,000 civilians at the hands of U.S.-backed military dictatorships during the Cold War and argue that U.S. foreign policy is often a product of domestic politics rather than a response to actual circumstances in the countries with which the United States interacts.

A native of Brazil, Walker has written extensively on Central America, including co-authoring numerous books, among them "Understanding Central America," "Perspectives on War and Peace in Central America" and "Repression, Resistance and Democratic Transition in Central America," which was published in 2000. Since 1984, Walker has thrice served as an international observer during Nicaragua's national elections.

He earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Brown University and his Ph.D. in political science from the University of New Mexico.