Alvaro Uribe has kept a storied tradition alive—the post presidential appointment as “Distinguished Scholar” at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. A week ago SFS announced the appointment. Uribe is expected to lead seminars and “interface,” allowing GU students to gain a better appreciation of the nexus between theory and policy. Such appointments are standard fare for SFS, the program around which Georgetown University builds its reputation. Right now, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar are also in residence as distinguished scholars.
Uribe’s appointment is proving rather controversial at GU. Students at Georgetown’s Law Center have decried Uribe for human rights abuses under his watch: Georgetown should not “legitimate him and his legacy…” read one blog post. Most Colombians evidently don’t share that sentiment; Uribe left office last month with very high approval ratings after having his chosen successor elected by a 40- point margin.
It doesn’t appear the former Colombian president will be spending much time at home starting this fall. In addition to his Georgetown post, Uribe has been tapped to co-chair the UN investigation into Israel’s flotilla raid.
