NAFTA Misconceptions, Reality, Achievements, and Potential Subjects for Harvard Business School Club of Washington DC Seminar on the morning of April 14 at the Canadian Embassy.
/EIN News/ Many people were surprised that Barak Obama met with the President of Mexico even before the inauguration, and made his first trip as President to Canada, because American popular opinion holds that NAFTA has been harmful to the United States.
However, the beneficial impact has been colossal. Since implementation of NAFTA began in 1994, annual trade between the three member nations has more than tripled to about a trillion dollars – and, during that time, annual manufacturing output in the US increased by 58% and employment increased by 24%.
The April 14 seminar will review the global competitive position of the three nation region at a time when NAFTA provisions have vested, and provide business development support. There will be three sessions:
• A NAFTA Overview (including the status of key
economic sectors – agriculture, natural resources,
energy, manufacturing, services);
• A Highlighted Sector: Energy;
• Business Opportunities involving the US, Mexico and
Canada.
Speakers:
The Overview Session features Jon Huenemann, Principal of Miller & Chevalier, Gary Hufbauer and Jeffrey Schott, Senior Fellows at the Peterson Institute, who have extensive involvement in NAFTA negotiation, administration and conflicts, and questions of North American economic development and competitiveness.
The Energy Panel includes two of the country’s most knowledgeable experts – Joseph Dukert, President of the US Association for Energy Economics, author of “Energy”, a comprehensive analysis of energy sources and the interactions of their development, exploitation and consumption (just published by Greenwood), and Michael Eckardt, President of the American Council on Renewable Energy.
The Business Opportunities presenters, who have expertise on overcoming obstacles and achieving results, include James Jones, who implemented NAFTA as American Ambassador to Mexico, Al Zapanta, CEO of the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, a much-decorated, active reserve general whose expertise is much called-upon to deal with the current drug war, as well as Jean-Philippe Linteau, Senior Trade Commissioner at the Canadian Embassy and Hector Marquez, Director of the NAFTA Office at the Mexican Embassy.
Program details, speaker bios, registration at HBS Club website – www.hbsclubwdc.net
This is an event of the Entrepreneurship RoundTable of the of the HBS Club of Washington, DC – co-sponsored by Miller & Chevalier, the Wharton Club, The United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian-American Business Council.
