Michael Camilleri ’00

Michael Camilleri ’00 is Director of the Peter D. Bell Rule of Law Program at the Inter-American Dialogue. An international lawyer and former diplomat, he served in the Obama administration from 2012 to 2017 as the Western Hemisphere adviser on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff and as Director for Andean Affairs at the National Security Council.

Prior to joining the U.S. government, Michael was a human rights specialist at the Organization of American States and a senior staff attorney at the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL). He also worked with a coalition of civil society organizations in Guatemala and at a large international law firm.

Michael’s commentary and analysis on legal and policy issues in the Americas have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Americas Quarterly, BBC, Fox News, Univision, NTN24, and CNN en Español. Michael is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and he has been an adjunct professor of law and international affairs at the George Washington University, American University, and the University of Baltimore. He holds a B.A. in history from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

“Corruption scandals can bring demagogues to power. But Latin America needs better politicians, not worse judges.”

Michael Camilleri

Michael Camilleri’s testimony at the House Foreign Affairs Committee on “The Health, Economic, and Political Challenges Facing Latin America and the Caribbean” recorded on September 15, 2020:

Articles by Michael Camilleri related to his work:

• Michael Camilleri (Foreign Affairs): Why Antiestablishment Fervor Is Growing in Latin America
• Michael Camilleri and Catharine Christie (Americas Quarterly): How the ‘Art of the Deal’ Hurt Latin America’s Corruption Fight
• Michael Camilleri and Michael Shifter (New York Times access required): It’s Not the Time for War Games With Venezuela

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