Recruitment is currently taking place for TFAS’s third annual Institute for Leadership in the Americas, which will be held in Santiago, Chile from Jan. 10 – 21, 2011.

Nearly fifty students from around Latin America and the U.S. will travel to Chile for a two week academic course which emphasizes the model of free enterprise and adherence to the rule of law that has made Chile a standout nation in the region.

In just one generation since the tumultuous 1970s when Cold War tensions saw the rise of Marxist subversion and military dictatorships, Chile has now become the first nation in Latin America to join the OECD, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, a distinction given only to nations who reach a high level of political stability and economic dynamism.

The Institute for Leadership in the Americas features a week of coursework in political philosophy taught by Professor Brad Thompson of Clemson University’s Center for the Study of Capitalism, and one week of economics taught by two professors from TFAS’s academic partner, the University of the Andes: Dr. Juan Pablo Couyoumdjian and Dr. Juan Ignacio Brito, both experts in the “Chilean Miracle” that delivered Chile from third world status to a country now emulated by developing countries throughout the world. The University of the Andes will offer academic credit for the course.

The former Prime Minister of Spain, Jose Maria Aznar, and the current president of Chile, Sebasian Pinera, have spoken to students of the course over the past two years. In addition, Jose Pinera who is known as the architect of Chile’s personal pension system and the brother of the current president has also spoken to ILA students.

ILA participants will also have the unique opportunity to spend a day taking classes in Chile’s Congress in the beautiful beach town of Valparaiso.

Applications are open until Nov. 15 and can be found HERE. TFAS alumni will be given preference in admissions and scholarships.