More than 20 years after the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect, its consequences are a topic of heated debate in Mexico, Canada and especially the United States. Are President Trump’s claims about NAFTA and its negative effects on the U.S. economy accurate? Are his goals for renegotiating the agreement achievable? Are supply chains now too integrated to undo key clauses of the treaty without creating major economic disruption? Can an amended NAFTA return jobs and manufacturing to the U.S.? Who has benefited and who has suffered as a result of NAFTA? Has the U.S. fared worse than its trading partners? Are there practical ways to improve the treaty, such as adding new chapters? What are the red lines of U.S. trading partners Canada and Mexico in the negotiations?
The San Diego World Affairs Council (SDWAC) and the University of San Diego Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies bring the debate to you by assembling a top-notch panel to consider all things NAFTA.
Panelists
Jeffrey Davidow is former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State responsible for U.S. Latin America policy. Currently Senior Counselor of The Cohen Group, Ambassador Davidow is the author of The US and Mexico: The Bear and the Porcupine, a bestseller in Mexico that is often used as a textbook for university courses in the United States.
Dennis Arriola is Executive Vice President of Sempra Energy, Corporate Strategy and External Affairs, with responsibility for Sempra’s extensive international activities. Sempra has pursued an aggressive investment strategy in Mexico, where it owns 66 percent of IEnova, an energy infrastructure company whose equity value exceeds $7billion.
Gavin Nardocchio-Jones, Deputy Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles, is a career diplomat who oversees the Political/Economic section of the Consulate General. Mr. Nardocchio-Jones is responsible for making policy recommendations to Ottawa regarding California. Bilateral trade between Canada and California exceeds $46 billion.
Thursday, October 19, 2017
(Please note that this panel starts earlier than most SDWAC evening events.)
5:30 p.m.- 6 p.m. Registration & Reception
(Hors d'oeuvres catered by AMN Healthcare.)
6 p.m.-7 p.m. Presentation
7 p.m.-8 p.m. Q & A
Location
AMN Healthcare Auditorium
12400 High Bluff Drive, San Diego 92130
Admission
University of San Diego students, faculty and staff: Free
SDWAC members: $10
General public: $20