Conversation on Transatlanticism and Europe Blog

by Alberto M. Burgos-Rivera (UIUC) This blog post was written for the course "Current Issues in Global and EU Affairs", which took place from February 11-May 9, 2019. Nicolás Maduro Image Credit: Eneas de Troya,  via Wikimedia Commons Juan Guaidó Image Credit: Gabriel Cruz, via Wikimedia Commons Although the current presidential crisis facing Venezuela began in early January 2019, its origins may be argued to have begun with Nicolás Maduro’s first presidential term. An heir to Chavez’s Bolivarian Revolution, Maduro’s first presidential term was marred by increased authoritarianism, human rights violations, economic hyperinflation coupled by scarcity of basic goods. These factors have caused an increase in emigration from the oil-rich nation towards neighboring South American countries. While last year’s presidential elections showed overwhelming electoral support for Maduro, it has been claimed that these elections were marred by vote r...

By Alberto M. Burgos Rivera Prof. Gustavo G. Muller lectures at KU Leuven This blog post was written for the course "Current Issues in Global and EU Affairs", which took place from February 12-April 30, 2018. During the second day of our stay in Leuven, me and my colleagues attended a number of presentations, did some sightseeing of the city, and attended a lecture with the MAES students. The presentations we had during the morning were focused on KU Leuven’s promotion as a university institution. The first presentation we attended was given by KU Leuven’s Head of Academic Diplomacy Bart Hendrickx in which he talked to us about KU Leuven’s history, its academic programs, and its global ranking as an institution. The second presentation was given by the Vice Dean of Internationalization Professor Bart Van den Bossche at the Faculty of Arts. Unlike the first presentation, this one was much more focused on the graduate programs offered by the Faculty of Arts. After the p...