Adam Benz

Mr. Benz obtained his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, where he majored in Politics, earning a Certificate in Latin American Studies. Mr. Benz completed his graduate education at the George Washington University, where he received a Juris Doctorate degree from the law school along with a Master’s degree in International Affairs with a double concentration in International Law and International Economics at the Elliott School of International Affairs. As an undergraduate, Mr. Benz worked firsthand alongside indigenous communities in rural Honduras and Belize on economic development projects, in addition to assisting in establishing the first academic exchange between Princeton University and the University of Havana. Since then, Mr. Benz has worked and volunteered as a writer and researcher with a number of organizations on topics relating to international law, comparative law, and international affairs, including the United Nations Consultation on Women and the Right to Housing, the Inter-American Dialogue, and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights. Most recently, Mr. Benz worked as an associate at a DC-based law firm specializing in tribal law, federal lobbying, and tribal-state intergovernmental relations. Mr. Benz is a member of the California Bar.

Articles

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Who Will Stand for Rule of Law in Honduras?

Ever since the Honduran president Manuel Zelaya was arrested in the middle of the night and flown out of his country by military officers less than a month ago, the small country of Honduras has received enormous international attention for been widely reported as the first Central American coup in almost two decades. There has been a strong stated desire by all the major outside players to this crisis not to allow for a repeat of Latin America’s plagued history of military coups being used to respond to constitutional crises. The international response has offered a rare opportunity for a united common front between the Obama administration, Latin American states across the political spectrum, and international institutions such as the United Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS).

July 1, 2009
Adam Benz
Democracy and Rule of Law - June/July 2009

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This BRIC Stands Out: Brazil's Outsized Role in the Fight Against Global Warming

In 2009, Brazil experienced two major milestones, which, while seemingly unrelated, have significant implications for the future of global climate change. First, U.S. car purchases in 2009 are predicted to be eclipsed for the first time by purchases by BRIC nations, an informal grouping of the four major emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with Brazil alone experiencing a rise by nearly a third in auto sales two years in a row. Given the fact that cars were responsible for 6.3% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions measured in 2000, as reported by 2006 Stern Review on the economics of climate change, the rapid growth of auto purchases by BRIC countries is likely not only to profoundly impact the pace of climate change, but also the strategies utilized to combat global warming. In recent decades, Brazil has adopted one such strategy through its embrace of biofuels.

March 2, 2009
Adam Benz
Climate Change - February 2009

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Can Latin America Weather a Global Recession?

Latin America has a long history of disastrous financial meltdowns, which over the past twenty years include its largest economies, such as Mexico in 1994, Argentina in 2001, and Brazil in 1999. Those crises devastated financial institutions and created tremendous social instability, pushing many members of the middle class into poverty. Much like the current U.S. financial crisis, many of Latin America’s previous crises were the product of risky growth-centric economic policies and inadequate fiscal protections. As a result, many Latin American nations have enacted a wide range of important economic reforms over the past few decades, sometimes reluctantly in the face of pressure from international financial institutions. Moreover, in recent years several important countries have willingly pursued prudent financial policies that emphasize stable sustainable growth and include a number of protections from future crises...

October 29, 2008
Adam Benz
Election 2008 - October 2008

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What the U.S. Can Learn from Brazil’s Energy Successes

With U.S. gas prices rising to record levels over the past year and contributing to fears about the national economy, both Democrat and Republican Presidential candidates alike are focusing on the need to change U.S. energy policy. A major cornerstone of Democratic candidate Senator Barack Obama’s energy policy has been the need to promote alternate energy sources, particularly biofuels. Republican candidate Senator John McCain, on the other hand, has particularly emphasized the need to expand domestic drilling, especially offshore drilling. Both candidates agree, however, on the need to develop energy independence from foreign oil suppliers.

September 1, 2008
Adam Benz
Global Need for Energy - September 2008