NEWPORT, R.I. – Retired U.S. Ambassador Paul Taylor, professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval War College, will present a public lecture, “Rebuilding Haiti,” on Wednesday, April 27 at 7 p.m. at Salve Regina University.
Taylor’s talk, free and open to the public, is part of the Newport Council for International Visitors’ “Great Decisions” lecture series. The talk will be presented at the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy, located in the Young Building, corner of Bellevue and Ruggles avenues. As seating is limited, reservations are required by e-mailing Gdreservations@newportciv.org.
The January 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti struck a country already suffering from widespread poverty and underdevelopment. Did this natural disaster inadvertently provide an opportunity for reassessment and planning a new Haiti? With presidential elections looming in early 2011, what can new leadership bring to restore the country?
Taylor currently teaches elective courses on Latin America and the Caribbean at the Naval War College. As a foreign service officer, he was ambassador to the Dominican Republic and deputy assistant secretary of state, responsible for overall relations with Mexico and economic relations with Latin America and the Caribbean. Taylor performed diplomatic duties for periods of two to three years each in Ecuador, Thailand, Brazil, Spain and Guatemala.
Taylor has written articles on strategy, economic sanctions and other subjects of international affairs and edited several books. His recent work includes an article in the June 2009 issue of Proceedings titled “Why Does Brazil Need Nuclear Submarines?” and edited volumes on maritime strategy in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The latter books are the first volumes to be published by the Naval War College Press in languages other than English. Taylor holds a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a master's degree from Harvard University.