The Harvard Association Cultivating Inter-American Democracy is devoted to strengthening and promoting democracy throughout the Western Hemisphere; the acronym HACIA is Spanish for “towards.” Thus, our name helps to convey our main objective: moving countries in the Americas towards stronger democracies. HACIA is committed to constructing a high quality conference which stimulates both domestic and international democratic institutions, provides participants with a first-hand opportunity to experience the advantages of democratic institutions, and offers a forum for participants to critically analyze, discuss, and debate current issues that affect states in the Americas domestically and regionally. This year, our conference will be held between March 14th and 17th, 2013 in the beautiful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.