U.S. Trade Policy at a Crossroads July 9, 2008

Host: Hudson Institute. 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.

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