On the evening of November 8, 2023, the Institute of International and Area Studies (IIAS) of Tsinghua University held the third lecture in the series of “Frontier Issues in Latin American Political Research”, titled “Colombia Facing its International and Domestic Challenges: historical precedents and expectations”. The lecture was delivered by Professor Eduardo Pastrana of the Pontifical Xaverian University, Colombia, and moderated by assistant professor Wang Shi’ao of IIAS, with the participation of nearly 70 students, researchers and professionals from domestic and international universities.

At the beginning, Prof. Pastrana gave a brief overview of the history of the Republic of Colombia and its role in the South American independence movement. He then analyzed the evolution of Colombia's relationship with emerging powers in Europe and North America during the 19th and early 20th centuries, noting that the independence of Panama with support from the United States profoundly shaped Colombia's foreign policy and its adherence to the United States. Prof. Pastrana then described the systemic challenges Colombia faced domestically and its international engagement during the Cold War, and analysed Colombia's internal and external political dynamics at the turn of the century. Finally, he also introduced the history and reality of Colombia's relationship with China, and provided an outlook on the prospects for bilateral relations.

During the Q&A section, Prof. Pastrana had a lively discussion with the audience on the prospect of the first left-wing government in Colombia, the significance of MERCOSUR for Colombia, and the impact of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) on Colombia, etc. Students and faculty members who participated the event expressed that they were deeply inspired by the lecture.

Prof. Eduardo Pastrana Buelvas, Doctor of Law from the University of Leipzig-Germany, lawyer from the Universidad Santiago de Cali-Colombia (USC). He was Vice-Chancellor and Director for Research at USC. Currently he is a Professor of International Relations and International Law at the Pontifical Xaverian University in Bogotá (PUJB) in the Department of International Relations, Faculty of Political Science and International Relations. He is also a member of the research group of International Relations, Latin America and Integration (GRIALI) He is a Senior Researcher at MINCIENCIAS. He has been Visiting Professor at the Institute of Political Science of the University of Leipzig-Germany; at the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, at the University of Rostock Germany; at the German Institute of Global and Area Studies in Hamburg in Germany; at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul; at the Castilla la Mancha in Spain, at the Universidad del Valle and USC in Colombia. He is a consultant for the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation of Colombia (KAS)He has published numerous books and articles on issues of International Relations, International Law, Military Historical Memory and National Security and Defense. He is a member of the think tank Regional Coordinator of Economic and Social Research (CRIES), in which he is part of the Academic Honour Committee; the International Studies Association (ISA); the Latin American Studies Association (LASA); the International Political Science Association (IPSA); and the Latin American Association of Political Science (ALACIP).

Text Editor: Xu Shuai
Proofreader: Wang Shi’ao