Santino Calcagno

Santino Calcagno has recently graduated from American University, gaining his B.A at the School of International Service. Santino majored in International Relations and minored in French studies. During his studies, Santino held a thematic concentration in Comparative Governance and a regional focus on Latin America. He has gained valuable experience in non-profit humanitarian work while interning at the Guatemalan Human Rights Commission/USA. Santino is originally from Argentina, allowing him to deeply explore political and social issues that impact human rights in Latin America. Additionally, Santino’s French studies have enabled him to explore humanitarian research projects in Francophone Africa. For his senior capstone, Santino took on a project assigned by the U.S embassy in Niamey, Niger, to conduct research on disinformation campaigns in the Sahel. Santino’s research interests include issues concerning democratic backsliding, corruption and impunity, transitional justice, and intrastate conflict. Some of Santino’s previous research pursuits include the persecution of female human rights defenders in Guatemala, democratic backsliding in Brazil, anti-gang crackdowns in El Salvador, and transitional justice in Latin American countries recovering from state-sponsored violence.