Eduardo Vallarino, diplomat and businessman, attended a special luncheon to discuss “Building Peace after War,” Nov. 7 in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Morris University Center. Vallarino, who was joined by SIUE faculty, staff and students, talked about his academic and political experiences.
Vallarino is a distinguished Panamanian diplomat and businessman, and served in a number of important positions representing Panama. He was ambassador to the United States, ambassador to Canada, permanent representative of Panama to the United Nations and Panama’s director of Industrial Development. He also was a candidate for the presidency of the Republic of Panama in 1994.
Mr. Vallarino attended Louisiana State University, where he earned bachelor’s in both civil and petroleum engineering. He then spent several years at Harvard University, where he earned an MBA, completed course work in the business school’s doctoral program and was appointed a member of the faculty.
While an Edward Mason Fellow at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Vallarino was awarded a master’s in public administration. His educational career has also included graduate teaching positions in the Central American Institute of Business Administration (Nicaragua).
Vallarino spoke knowingly about the history of Panama, its troubled relationship with Columbia that lingers to this day, and its longstanding and complex relationship with the United States.
He responded to a number of student questions. One centered on the future capacity of the Panama Canal to handle supertankers. Another dealt with the potential for wind and solar energy production in Panama that might cover the wider Central American region.
Vallarino downplayed the prospect for a competing canal in Nicaragua, and he maintained that economic development in Panama is definitely on the rise.
“We are always delighted to host these events on the SIUE campus,” said Dr. Ron Schaefer, distinguished research professor and director of the Center for International Programs. “Through opportunities like this, our faculty, staff and students are able to gain real perspective on issues of international significance.
“It is our hope, through what we do at the Center, to assist the University community in learning more about global topics, so that individuals can be informed citizens of the world.”
The event was made possible by the SIUE Center for International Programs. The Center often hosts these events, working with the St. Louis Council on Foreign Relations to bring speakers to campus to meet with the University community prior to evening speaker engagements.