FEATURED SPEAKER: Valdrack L. Jaentschke, Co-Foreign Minister of Nicaragua, from Corn Island on the Caribbean Coast.

Among several past government positions, he has served as Minister Advisor for International Relations with a focus on relations with the Caribbean Community, and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. Over the entire period 2007-2026, he has worked with government, national and international organizations, and academia on issues of human development, management, strategic planning, negotiation and decision-making in public policies. WEBINAR TOPIC: Following the loss of the elections in 1990, Nicaragua’s Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) vowed to “govern from below.” Over the next 17 years, 3 US-backed neoliberal governments privatized health care and education. Thousands of people went to the cemetery before their time. Under IMF programs the poor got poorer and the rich got richer. During this same period, the FSLN worked closely with its grassroots base through unions, student groups and social movements to help people survive, organize, influence, and eventually return to power. The Co-Foreign Minister will give us an overview of these difficult years and how the Revolution survived. This webinar will also provide valuable background for those hoping to attend the 4 evening classes in September, exploring these grassroots movements in greater detail.