Please join us for a very special evening with Javier Corrales, author of "Autocracy Rising: How Venezuela Transitioned to Authoritarianism."

Javier will present his research on Venezuela and other countries in Latin America that have descended into autocratic rule. He will use President Nicolas Maduro as an example of how charismatic leaders use populist/nationalistic rhetoric to divide citizens (us against them). Ultimately, autocrats shred institutional norms with impunity, often controlling the media, the courts, elections and the military, all at the expense of civil liberties and minority rights. About Javier Corrales: Javier is an expert in political theory and U.S.- Latin American politics. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science at Harvard University and teaches at Amherst College as the Dwight W. Morrow Professor of Political Science. Javier is the author of several books and journal articles on foreign policy and regularly contributes to the New York Times. In 2000, Javier became one of the youngest scholars ever to be selected as a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Javier has been a Fulbright scholar twice, in 2005 in Caracas and 2016 in Bogotá. From His Page at Amherst College: The son of Cubans living in exile in Puerto Rico, Javier Corrales was involved in conversations about politics at an early age. “There was not a single day in my life that we did not talk about Cuba, Communism, the Cold War, U.S. foreign policy, human rights.” For Corrales, conversations about politics were a fundamental part of his formative years. Javier will be introduced by clergy and Isaiah Board Member Idelle Davidson. This is a ChaiVillage/Civics in the Synagogue program.