American workers are among the most productive and prosperous in the world. Yet public sentiment has grown skeptical of open international trade and investment. Polls suggest that "protectionism" no longer bears negative connotations. Presidential candidates and other politicians condemn international trade arrangements such as NAFTA. The House of Representatives recently broke with decades of precedent to strip the Colombia trade agreement of fast-track treatment, potentially taking the agreement off the legislative agenda indefinitely. Other trade agreements with Panama and South Korea hang in limbo.
Is America turning its back on the open international economic system created in the wake of World War II? What is driving this public anxiety that politicians are reflecting? What are the implications for U.S. international leadership, and for American workers? How will the Bush Administration and the Democratic Congress deal with pending agreements, and what are the prospects for trade policy after January 20, 2009? The Hudson Institute, a non-partisan think tank, has organized this event to explore the future of U.S. trade policy with policymakers and experts.
Commerce Under Secretary Chris Padilla will give a keynote address entitled "Openness and the American Creed" in which he will discuss the Administration's trade agenda, trade agreements pending before Congress, and the importance of an open economy to Americans and the world. His remarks will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Demetrios Marantis, Chief International Trade Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee, and Jim Mendenhall, former USTR General Counsel and partner of Sidley Austin. Rod Hunter, former National Security Council Senior Director and Hudson Institute Senior Fellow, will moderate.
Chris Padilla serves as Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade and was recently appointed by President Bush to serve on the Congressional-Executive Commission on the People's Republic of China. Padilla has worked in the Bush Administration since 2002, with a particular focus on international trade and economic issues. Padilla has more than fifteen years of international trade experience in the private sector. He worked in a number of international positions at AT&T and Lucent Technologies, including marketing, business development, and government affairs. Later, he was Director of International Trade Relations at Eastman Kodak Company. Recently, he published an op-ed in the Politico entitled "Trade Openness Key to Vibrant Economy ."
Demetrios Marantis serves as Chief International Trade Counsel (Majority) for the Senate Finance Committee. In this capacity, he advises Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Montana), as well as members and staff of the Finance Committee and Democratic Caucus, on trade and economic issues. Marantis joined the committee in February 2005 after serving as Issues Director for Sen. John Edwards on the Kerry-Edwards 2004 presidential campaign. Prior to the campaign, Marantis spent two years in Hanoi as Chief Legal Advisor for the U.S.-Vietnam Trade Council where he provided technical assistance on issues related to the U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement and Vietnam's accession to the WTO. Marantis also worked for five years in the Washington, D.C. and Brussels, Belgium offices of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld.
Jim Mendenhall, currently a partner at Sidley Austin, served as General Counsel for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. He was responsible for trade and investment policy, and oversaw trade negotiations dealing with services, investment, and intellectual property. He also oversaw the World Trade Organization negotiations in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property.
Rod Hunter, currently a Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute, served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director at the National Security Council. While at the NSC, he was responsible for coordinating the administration's policies on international economics, including trade, finance, investment, energy, and the environment. Prior to joining the NSC, Hunter served from 2001 to 2003 as special counsel at USTR. From 1989 to 2001, Hunter practiced law in Brussels, where he handled EU and member state legal and regulatory matters. Recently, he published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal entitled “The Democrats and Trade.”
Lunch will be served from 12:00pm - 12:30pm.