Former Dominican Minister Discusses Foreign Policy in D.C.
Roberto Álvarez spoke at Johns Hopkins SAIS and met with OAS Secretary General Albert Ramdin during his Washington visit.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in International Relations
Former Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez discussed Dominican Republic foreign policy at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington. He also met with OAS Secretary General Albert Ramdin and donated two volumes to the OAS Columbus Library.
Why it matters
The discussion covered Dominican Republic-U.S. relations, smaller-nation diplomacy and the international response to Haiti's crisis. The donated volumes document the Dominican Republic's diplomatic response to Haiti across 2020-2024 and 2024-2026.
Álvarez served six years leading Dominican foreign policy, and the two donated volumes cover Haitian crisis responses from 2020-2024 and 2024-2026. The conversation's specific policy positions and the substance of the Ramdin meeting were not detailed in the available extraction.
The players
Roberto Álvarez
Roberto Álvarez is a former Dominican Republic Foreign Minister and ambassador emeritus who served six years leading the country's foreign policy.
Albert Ramdin
Albert Ramdin is the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, the regional body headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies
Johns Hopkins SAIS is a graduate school of international affairs in Washington, D.C., hosting the Bloomberg Center where the conversation took place.
The details
Álvarez, an ambassador emeritus and SAIS alumnus, spoke with faculty, students and alumni at the Bloomberg Center, moderated by Jim Marckwardt. He recalled a 1983 lecture by Professor Simon Serfaty at SAIS during the discussion.
Timeline
2020-2024: Dominican diplomatic response to Haitian crisis documented in the first donated volume.
1983: Professor Simon Serfaty delivers a lecture at SAIS that Álvarez recalled.
2024-2026: Dominican diplomatic response to Haitian crisis documented in the second donated volume.
Big Picture
The two donated volumes extend the documented record of Dominican diplomacy toward Haiti across the 2020-2024 and 2024-2026 periods, adding to the Dominican Republic's written account of its response to the crisis.
Readers following Caribbean and Western Hemisphere diplomacy can track how the Dominican Republic's documented record of its Haiti response shapes regional policy discussions. The donated volumes are available through the OAS Columbus Library for those researching the period.
The takeaway
Former officials' written records of diplomatic responses can serve as primary sources for understanding regional crises. Researchers interested in Dominican foreign policy toward Haiti may find the donated volumes useful.
Further reading
Explore more coverage in International Relations for context on diplomacy between the Dominican Republic and its neighbors.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Dominicantoday.
