Sociologist Leonardo Vivas is a lecturer on international politics in Emerson College and a consultant for Freedom House. He was previously a lecturer on Latin America and courses on human rights and sustainable development in the Global and International Relations Program at the CPS in Northeastern University. Prior to this, he was director of the Latin America Program at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at HKS. In Venezuela he was Director of Industry in charge of the Commercial Reform and Industrial Policy. After his government experience, he wrote two early books (in Spanish) dealing both with the political flaws of economic reform in Venezuela (Crónicas de un tecnócrata en apuros) and with the rise of Chávez to power (Chávez: La última revolución del siglo XX). He also has authored many journal articles about Venezuela.