The Aspen Institute

International trade became a lightning-rod issue in the recent presidential race. Did the United States mismanage the economic wellbeing of its citizens in the turbulent process of globalization? Do trade wars lie in our near future? Will NAFTA and the TPP survive in any form or be tossed into the dustbin of history as President-elect Donald Trump has promised? Is the country trading itself out of jobs or into economic security? This timely, three-day symposium, led by moderators Edward “Ted” Alden from the Council on Foreign Relations and Daniel Ikenson from the Cato Institute, will consider the trade policy decisions and related topics faced by the incoming administration. Topics to cover include the role of tariffs, trading blocs, tax incentives, job training, immigration, and social safety nets in building a robust economy in the United States.

Evening opening reception followed by three half-day sessions.

Edward “Ted” Alden is the Bernard L. Schwartz senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), specializing in U.S. economic competitiveness. He is the author of the new book Failure to Adjust: How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy, which focuses on the federal government’s failure to respond effectively to competitive challenges on issues such as trade, currency, worker retraining programs, education, infrastructure, and support for innovation. Alden is the director of the CFR Renewing America publication series and coauthor of a recent CFR Discussion Paper “A Winning Trade Policy for the United States.” He was the project co-director of the 2011 CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on U.S. Trade and Investment Policy, which was co-chaired by former White House chief of staff Andrew Card and former Senate majority leader Thomas Daschle.

Daniel Ikenson is director of the Cato Institute’s Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, where he coordinates and conducts research on all manner of international trade and investment policy. Since joining Cato in 2000, Ikenson has authored dozens of papers on various aspects of trade policy, focusing his research on bilateral and multilateral trade agreements and institutions; globalization; U.S. manufacturing issues; trade politics; and trade remedies, such as the antidumping regime. Ikenson has been a key advisor and consultant on international trade since 1990, testifying before congressional committees on a variety of policy matter. He has appeared on numerous television news programs and networks, including PBS, CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg TV, MSNBC, ABC News, Fox News, Fox Business News, and NPR.