Arturo Valenzuela

Arturo Valenzuela
31st Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
In office
November 10, 2009 – July 31, 2011
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byTom Shannon
Succeeded byRoberta S. Jacobson
Personal details
Born (1944-01-23) January 23, 1944 (age 80)
Concepción, Chile
Education

Arturo A. Valenzuela (born 23 January 1944[1]) is a Chilean-American academic who was the United States Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs from November 5, 2009, until August 2011. His confirmation had been blocked by Senator Jim DeMint (R, SC) due to a dispute over President Barack Obama's approach to the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis.[2] He previously served as Professor of Government and Director of the Center for Latin American Studies in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.[3] He was previously Professor of Political Science and Director of the Council on Latin American Studies at Duke University. In May 2011 it was reported that Valenzuela would be leaving his government post later that summer to return to his academic activities.[4] He officially left office at the end of August 2011.

  1. ^ "Los 16 años chilenos del hombre de Obama para América Latina". Reportajes de La Tercera. 2009-05-19. Archived from the original on 14 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  2. ^ "Obama and DeMint locked in proxy fight over Hugo Chavez". Alexander Bolton - The Hill. 2009-09-20. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
  3. ^ "Arturo Valenzuela's Biography at Georgetown University". Explore.georgetown.edu. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
  4. ^ Wyss, Jim. "Top U.S. Latin America diplomat to leave post". Montrealgazette.com. Retrieved 2011-05-06.