Gabriel Guerra-Mondragón
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Guerra-Mondragón (born September 4, 1942 in San Juan
, Puerto Rico
) was the United States Ambassador to Chile
from 1994-1998. Nominated by President
Bill Clinton
in July 1994, and was confirmed by the United States Senate
on October 4 of that year. He was administered the oath of office by Vice President
Albert Gore on October 25, 1994 and arrived in Santiago
on November 8, 1994 to present his credentials to Chilean President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle
.
As the ambassador to Chile, Gabriel Guerra-Mondragón angered many right-wing Chilean leaders by defending the U.S. ban on the export of advanced weapons to Chile, which has been in effect since the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet Ugarte (1973-1990). The Chilean constitution of 1980, the ambassador maintained, prevents the president from removing the military commanders in chief and thus does not allow full civilian control of the Chilean armed forces. Many of Pinochet's supporters in the Chilean parliament were infuriated by these remarks, however left-wing politicians and other Pinochet opponents considered that the ambassador had merely spoken the truth.
An alumnus of Fordham University
; the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University
; and the University of Puerto Rico
School of Law, Guerra-Mondragón has an extensive knowledge and background in the field of international relations
and is fluent in Spanish
and English
.
He joined the Foreign Service
of the United States in 1976. His assignments included as a Foreign Service Officer included Nicaragua
Desk Officer in the United States Department of State
in 1977; Executive Director, US National Commission for UNESCO
from 1977-1979; Staff Assistant in the Office of the Secretary of State from 1979-1980; Special Assistant to the Ambassador and then Political Officer at the US Embassy in Mexico City
from 1980-1983; and Colombia
Desk Officer in the Department of State from 1983-1984.
In 1984, Ambassador Guerra-Mondragón was assigned on a detail from the Department of State as Deputy Program Director for Latin America
and the Caribbean
of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Washington, DC, where he served until 1986. In that year, he became President of TKC International Incorporated in Washington, D.C.
. In 1994, he was appointed by President Clinton as a Commissioner of the American Battle Monuments Commission in Washington, DC.
In addition to his foreign service experience, Ambassador Guerra-Mondragón is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
; a former member of the Puerto Rican Legal and Education Defense Fund
; and a member of the Puerto Rico Bar Association
.
He is the grandson of Miguel Guerra Mondragón, who was a very well known attorney and politician in Puerto Rico.
Gabriel Guerra-Mondragón later was a "Hillraiser" for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, but later joined the finance committee of the Barack Obama campaign
. Guerra-Mondragon's action did not make the headlines like New Mexico
's Governor Bill Richardson's endorsement of Obama; nevertheless, the blogs were relentless on attacking him and label him as a conspirator, a traitor- jumping the ship when he felt Mrs. Clinton was losing the primary election, instead of leaving months earlier when he claims he was disillusioned with the campaign in South Carolina
and its racial tone.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
) was the United States Ambassador to Chile
United States Ambassador to Chile
The following is a list of Ambassadors that the United States has sent to Chile. The current title given by the United States State Department to this position is Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.-See also:*Chile – United States relations...
from 1994-1998. Nominated by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
in July 1994, and was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on October 4 of that year. He was administered the oath of office by Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Albert Gore on October 25, 1994 and arrived in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
on November 8, 1994 to present his credentials to Chilean President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle
Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle
Eduardo Alfredo Juan Bernardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle is a Chilean politician and civil engineer who was President of Chile from 1994 to 2000. He is currently Senator for Los Ríos and was President of the Senate from 2006 to 2008. He attempted a comeback as the candidate of the ruling Concertación...
.
As the ambassador to Chile, Gabriel Guerra-Mondragón angered many right-wing Chilean leaders by defending the U.S. ban on the export of advanced weapons to Chile, which has been in effect since the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet Ugarte (1973-1990). The Chilean constitution of 1980, the ambassador maintained, prevents the president from removing the military commanders in chief and thus does not allow full civilian control of the Chilean armed forces. Many of Pinochet's supporters in the Chilean parliament were infuriated by these remarks, however left-wing politicians and other Pinochet opponents considered that the ambassador had merely spoken the truth.
An alumnus of Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
; the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
; and the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
School of Law, Guerra-Mondragón has an extensive knowledge and background in the field of international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
and is fluent in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
He joined the Foreign Service
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
of the United States in 1976. His assignments included as a Foreign Service Officer included Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
Desk Officer in the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
in 1977; Executive Director, US National Commission for UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
from 1977-1979; Staff Assistant in the Office of the Secretary of State from 1979-1980; Special Assistant to the Ambassador and then Political Officer at the US Embassy in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
from 1980-1983; and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
Desk Officer in the Department of State from 1983-1984.
In 1984, Ambassador Guerra-Mondragón was assigned on a detail from the Department of State as Deputy Program Director for Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Washington, DC, where he served until 1986. In that year, he became President of TKC International Incorporated in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. In 1994, he was appointed by President Clinton as a Commissioner of the American Battle Monuments Commission in Washington, DC.
In addition to his foreign service experience, Ambassador Guerra-Mondragón is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
; a former member of the Puerto Rican Legal and Education Defense Fund
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
LatinoJustice PRLDEF, long known by its former name the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, is a New York-based national civil rights organization with the goal of changing discriminatory practices via advocacy and litigation...
; and a member of the Puerto Rico Bar Association
Puerto Rico Bar Association
The Puerto Rico Bar Association or Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico was founded in the 19th century and has evolved into an organization in which until 2009; all practicing attorneys must have been members in order to practice law in the United States territory of Puerto Rico...
.
He is the grandson of Miguel Guerra Mondragón, who was a very well known attorney and politician in Puerto Rico.
Gabriel Guerra-Mondragón later was a "Hillraiser" for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, but later joined the finance committee of the Barack Obama campaign
Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008
Barack Obama, then junior United States Senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2007. On August 27, 2008, he was declared nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2008 presidential election...
. Guerra-Mondragon's action did not make the headlines like New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
's Governor Bill Richardson's endorsement of Obama; nevertheless, the blogs were relentless on attacking him and label him as a conspirator, a traitor- jumping the ship when he felt Mrs. Clinton was losing the primary election, instead of leaving months earlier when he claims he was disillusioned with the campaign in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
and its racial tone.