The North-South Center, later named The Dante B. Fascell North-South Center at the University of Miami, was an independent research and educational institution established in 1984 at the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
in
Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248.
Coral Gables is known globally as home to the ...
, United States. The North-South Center was closed by the university in December 2003.
History
The North-South Center was established in 1984 by the
U.S. Congress in 1984 as a division within the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
's Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS). It was previously affiliated with the University of Miami's Center for Advanced International Studies, which was closed by incoming University of Miami president
Donna Shalala
Donna Edna Shalala ( ; born February 14, 1941) is an American politician and academic who served in the Carter and Clinton administrations, as well as in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021. Shalala is a recipient of the Presid ...
after her appointment and contract with the center were rejected by both
Cuban-American lawmakers and University of Miami trustees.
In 1991, under an
Act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called Public and private bills, private laws), or to the general public (Public and private bills, public laws). For a Bill (law) ...
"to promote better relations between the United States and the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean and Canada through cooperative study, training, and research," the institute began receiving federal financial support.
The center's first dean was Ambler Moss, Jr., who also served as its director and who remained with the North-South Center until its closing in December 2003.
The center conducted research and outreach on a range of
Inter-American issues, including democratic governance, security, trade and economic policy, sustainable development, migration, civil society participation, narcotics trafficking, and inter-American business and labor issues. From 1984 until 2000, the center served as the academic and operational home for the ''Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs'' and its succeeding journal, ''Latin American Politics and Society''. Through its in-house publishing arm, The North-South Center Press, the center published public policy research and commentary and developed collaborative projects with governmental and non-governmental partners in the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada. Throughout the center's existence, its publications were distributed through
Transaction Publishers and
Lynne Rienner Publishers. The center's research, outreach activities, and published works played a role in framing policy dialogue for key decision-makers and scholars, and non-governmental activists throughout the Americas. Its most seminal publications are still used in university classrooms, government agencies, and non-governmental institutions as resources for education and policy decision-making.
Closure
The North-South Center was closed by the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
at the end of 2003 after political objections emerged to the center's direction from
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...
's
Cuban–American lobby
The Cuban–American lobby are various groups of Cuban exiles in the United States and their descendants who have historically influenced the United States' policy toward Cuba. In general usage, this refers to anti-Castro groups.
History and forma ...
. ''
Miami Herald
The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a List of communities in Miami-Dade County, Florida, city in western Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the M ...
'' columnist
Andrés Oppenheimer argued in his September 4, 2003 that the University of Miami's decision to close the center was "dubious" and asked, "Has there been a right-wing coup at the University of Miami?"
The North-South Center's closure was covered by the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
, which reported: "Many observers speculated privately that the center received lukewarm support in the
House of Representatives because it did not focus enough on
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
and did not conform to more traditional Cuban exile ideological positions such as support for the trade embargo. "The existence of a center in Miami that is not right-wing concerns them," said
Bernardo Benes
Dr. Bernardo Benes Baikowitz (27 December 1934 in Matanzas, Cuba – 14 January 2019 in Miami, Florida) was a prominent Jewish Cuban lawyer, banker, journalist and civic leader, who was responsible for freeing 3,600 Cuban political prisoners in 19 ...
, a former banker who has advocated dialogue with the Cuban government."
The Associated Press reported that, since its 1984 creation, the center had become "a respected public policy think tank specializing in Latin American and Caribbean issues including trade and economic policy, migration, security, public corruption, and the environment."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:The North-South Center
University of Miami
Educational institutions established in 1984
1984 establishments in Florida
Foreign policy and strategy think tanks in the United States
Defunct educational institutions in the United States