Unpopular Government: How Populism is Reshaping Politics & Trade
Friday, October 28, 2016
The US presidential election has challenged many assumptions about the Constitution, the political process, and shaken the foundations of the two leading political parties. The aftershocks of the Brexit vote are still being felt in Europe, and France is headed into a legislative and presidential election likely to be shaped by populist discontent over immigration and defense. On both continents, economic populism is turning public opinion away from free trade and globalism and toward nationalism and isolation.
On Friday, October 28th, DRt’s third annual conference focused on these rising tides of populism, both in the United States and abroad. During two panel sessions and a keynote discussion, public policy leaders and researchers from around the world gathered to discuss how our unpopular politics will affect the future of elections and trade. One panel focused on economic populism and its effect on global free trade, and the other on how party politics have been disrupted by populist protest in the US and Europe. This year’s keynote discussion took place between Chairman David Dreier ’75 and Mickey Kantor, former US Commerce Secretary, U.S. Trade Representative, and chair of the 1992 Clinton/Gore campaign.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE, VIDEOS, AND PICTURES
Friday, October 28, 2016
8:30 – 9:45am, Economics Panel: “Unfree Trade: The Global Effects of Economic Populism
Security Pacific Dining Room, Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum
Participants:
- Eric Helland, CMC, moderator
- Hon. David Dreier ’75
- Dalibor Rohac, American Enterprise Institute
- Jaime Serra Puche P’14 P’17, Mexico Secretary of Commerce, 1988 – 94
- Guillermo Aguilar-Alvarez P’19, former principal negotiator for Mexico on NAFTA.
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Dalibor Rohac, American Enterprise Institute and Jaime Serra Puche P’14 P’17, Mexico Secretary of Commerce, 1988-94
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Left to Right: Eric Helland, Guillermo Aguilar-Alvarez, David Dreier, Dalibor Rohac, Jaime Serra Puche.
Security Pacific Dining Room, Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum
Participants:
- Zach Courser, CMC, moderator
- Hon. Mickey Kantor, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, 1996 – 97
- Vincent Michelot, Sciences Po Lyon
- Jack Pitney, CMC
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David Dreier, President Hiram Chodosh, and Hon. Mickey Kantor
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Left to right: Zach Courser, Jack Pitney, Mickey Kantor, and Vincent Michelot
Security Pacific Dining Room, Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum
- Introductions by President Hiram Chodosh and Prof. Kenneth P. Miller.
- Hon. David Dreier
- Hon. Mickey Kantor
Former House Rules Committee Chair, Congressman David Dreier offers his reactions to President-elect Donald Trump’s surprising win and tells NBC4’s Conan Nolan why he is hopeful for immigration reform under the new administration. Also, he draws some parallels between Trump and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as discusses the future of healthcare policy and news publications. Additionally, he discusses the transition for the Trump administration into the White House and some of his cabinet picks, including Rep. Jeff Sessions for Attorney General and Mike Pompeo for Director of Central Intelligence. Finally, he disagreed with Trump’s ‘free trade’ rhetoric and argued on behalf of fair trade agreements, citing the benefits created by agreements like NAFTA explained at the October 28 Dreier Roundtable Conference on populism’s affect on politics and trade.