Dr. Rebecca Bill Chavez is president and CEO of the Inter-American Dialogue. She is a member of the Foreign Policy for America Advisory Board, the Truman Center for National Policy Board of Directors, the Leadership Council for Women in National Security (LCWINS) Steering Committee, and the Princeton University Institute for Regional and International Studies Advisory Board.
Dr. Chavez served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs from 2013 until 2016 where she prioritized Women, Peace, and Security initiatives, combatting the militarization of law enforcement, and expanding defense institution building programs. Her areas of focus included shaping Defense Department contributions to President Obama’s Central America Strategy, moving the U.S.- Mexico relationship beyond the narrow counternarcotics focus, supporting the Colombian peace process, resetting defense relations with Argentina and Brazil, and establishing a productive dialogue with Cuba on humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
Prior to joining the Obama-Biden administration, Dr. Chavez was a tenured professor of political science at the United States Naval Academy where she served on the Admissions Board and the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate. Her research focused on democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, and she taught a wide variety of comparative politics and international relations courses, including Latin American and Caribbean Politics, Democratization, and United States-Latin America Relations.
Dr. Chavez is the author of The Rule of Law in Nascent Democracies (Stanford University Press). Her work has appeared in edited volumes and scholarly journals, including The Oxford Handbook of Law and Politics, Courts in Latin America (Cambridge University Press), Comparative Politics, Latin American Politics and Society, and The Journal of Latin American Studies. Her opinion pieces have been published in The New York Times, Foreign Policy, and Defense One. Raised in Austin, Texas, Dr. Chavez received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Stanford University and her B.A. in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the recipient of multiple academic grants, including a Fulbright Scholarship. Follow Dr. Chavez on X at @RebeccaBillChav.
Explore some of Dr. Chavez’s recent commentary:
- What Challenges Face Mexico’s First Female President? — The Dialogue, 6/6/24
- Chavez: “El momento no es casualidad”— CNN, 12/20/23
- Courts, a Last Line of Defense for Latin American Democracies — AS/COA, 8/17/23
- Democracy, Migration, and Climate Change: An Assessment of the Intersectional Crisis in Latin America — The Burn Bag Podcast, 9/4/23
- Ciudades latinoamericanas: soluciones locales para desafíos globales — El País, 4/25/23
- Biden needs a holistic strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean — The Hill, 6/6/22
- Is Latin America a Foreign Policy Priority for the U.S.? — The Dialogue, 7/19/21
- How did Harris’ Central America trip go? — The Dialogue, 6/10/21
- Essential Politics: How did Harris’ Central America trip go? Here’s what two experts have to say — LA Times, 6/9/21
- Vice President Harris’ Trip to Mexico & Guatemala — The Dialogue, 6/5/21
- Will Another ‘Three Amigos’ Summit Happen Anytime Soon? — The Dialogue, 1/28/21
- Dr. Rebecca Bill Chavez Discusses Kamala Harris’s Foreign Policy Vision — VoteVets, 10/13/20
- Will Latin America Turn On China Over Human Rights — The Dialogue, 7/29/20
- Will the Pandemic Lead to a Less Globalized World? — The Dialogue, 4/24/20
- Amid Covid-19, China Ups Its Game in Latin America — The Dialogue, 4/21/20
- ‘Gracias China!!!’ — The New York Times, 4/21/20
- What Would a New U.S. Administration Mean for the Region? — The Dialogue, 3/18/20
- América Latina Ante la Crisis de la Globalización y el Multilateralismo — The Dialogue, 1/31/20
- What Did Pompeo Accomplish on His Latin America Trip? — The Dialogue, 7/30/19
- Trump’s Cuba Sanctions Are a Mistake – Foreign Policy, 5/3/19
- Congressional Testimony: Prohibiting Unauthorized Military Action in Venezuela Act — The Dialogue, 3/13/19
- The Return of Latin America’s Military – New York Times, 8/14/18
- NAFTA’s Renegotiation Risks National Security – New York Times, 11/20/17
- Cuban, US Ties Form Aboard US Military’s Hospital Ship – Defense One, 11/13/15