Council On Foreign Relations: The Meaning of Power in the 21st Century

Source:Council On Foreign Relations- Fareed Zakaria speaking.

"Moisés Naím and Fareed Zakaria discuss the transformation of power and what this means for U.S. primacy and how it conducts foreign policy.

Speakers:

Moisés Naím, Senior Associate, International Economics, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Author, "The End of Power: From Boardrooms to Battlefields and Churches to States, Why Being In Charge Isn't What It Used to Be"

Fareed Zakaria, Host, CNN; Editor-at-Large, "TIME"

Presider:

Daniel W. Drezner, Professor of International Politics, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University" 

From the Council On Foreign Relations

Council on Foreign Relations: James M. Lindsay- Rob Quartel: 'Funding U.S. Infrastructure Improvements'

Source:Council on Foreign Relations- Rob Quartel from NTELX.

"Rob Quartel, Chairman and CEO of NTELX, discusses the need for  investment in renewing U.S. infrastructure with CFR's James M. Lindsay.  "We really have to focus on alternative means for paying for  infrastructure," argues Quartel." 

From the Council on Foreign Relations

There are so many things that America needs to do to rebuild its economy, get strong economic growth going again which would lead to job growth and then we can finally bring down our high unemployment rate of 9.1% or so. Which hopefully will be lower after the October jobs report, but of course thats no guarantee. 

We've been at 9% or higher in unemployment because of lack of economic growth for over a year now. And rebuilding our infrastructure, manufacturing industry, and creating a national energy policy are all things we need to do again, so we start building things in America again, made by Americans, sold in America as well as abroad. 

Foreign trade is also a key component to this so we can sell American products to as many customers as possible. We have right now in America what we need to rebuild our economy. We have things in America that we can sell here as well as abroad, that would create more American jobs. And the three trade agreements that Congress just passed and President Obama just signed, will be a big help for our manufacturing as well as auto industry. Infrastructure investment would also benefit our economy and manufacturing industry. 

A national energy policy would also benefit our economy and manufacturing industry. The good thing about tall of these things, even though it's a lot of work, but thats also a good thing, it means a lot of work, meaning the need to hire a lot of people to do all of this new work, the American auto industry is recovering. Meaning that will be a boost to our manufacturing industry, because of all the parts that would be needed to build the new autos. More people driving meaning more of the need for a national energy policy. 

And we have all the energy that we need in America to be developed and sold in America that we just need to produce and sell ourselves, again which means more jobs. And more energy industries being created to go along with oil and gas, nuclear power, and electric power. 

What also would help our economy is more infrastructure investment, which again would be a boost to our manufacturing industry, because again of all the new parts that would be needed to rebuild and build new infrastructure. 

So we have right now what we need in our country to rebuild our economy, the question is whether we are going to do it or not. Can the House and Senate come together and pass what we need to get to rebuild our economy, that the President would sign into law. 

Three great things we can do for our economy right now and again they all relate to each other. Infrastructure investment with a National Infrastructure Bank to finance our infrastructure investment. A national energy policy that would move America to energy independence, but developing our own natural resources. And foreign trade that Congress and the President have just passed and signed into law. The only question is will we do what we need to do or not.

Council on Foreign Relations: Edward Alden & Bernard L. Schwartz- 'Free Trade Agreements Signal Bipartisan Cooperation'

Source:Council on Foreign Relations- Senior Fellow Edward Alden.

"The U.S. ratification of the stalled Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama indicates that "there is a possibility, despite the very great partisan divisions in Congress, of bipartisan cooperation on economic issues," says Edward Alden, Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. However, Alden emphasizes that "it is important not to overstate the potential job creation benefits" of the agreements." 

From the Council on Foreign Relations

The fact is America has to trade with foreign countries. We are a country of 310M people in a world of 6B people. We are huge, but we only represent 5% of the world's population. Most of the customers in the world live outside of America, so it's in our best interest to trade with these countries especially in our own neighborhood like Canada, Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean and in emerging markets in South America like Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, and of course with the European Union, Arabia and Asia, and even in Africa. 

An economic policy that would work best, includes foreign trade. Making things in America, selling them here which creates jobs in America for Americans. But also selling those products to other countries by exporting them, including our natural Resources. If we ever get around to establishing a national energy policy to sell as many products as possible to make as much profit as possible to create as many American jobs as possible. 

What foreign trade is about when it works and it works when tariff rates are low and equal, meaning you have the same tariff rate in your country, as your trading partners have in their countries. 

You also have assistance for people who lose their jobs as a result of free trade and help for them to find another job for people who lose a job thats not coming back. Assistance to learn a new trade even while they are on Unemployment Insurance. 

What we shouldn't be doing is having an isolationist policy either on trade or foreign policy and limit the influence that we can have as a world power both economically and in foreign policy. But we shouldn't be trying to run the world either but representing our own national interests and expressing our own democratic values. And foreign trade is a way to do this to be engaged with what is happening in the world. 

One of the reasons why I'm for eliminating the trade embargo with Cuba, who doesn't represent a threat at all to us economically, their military or in the war on terror, Cuba is simply not a threat to America, perhaps never has been. The trade embargo has cost both countries and hasn't helped anyone, denying Cubans and Americans access to the other country and allowing Cubans to see what liberal democracy looks like, individual liberty as well. But this is what we should be doing with any country whether they are democratic or not, as long as they don't represent a threat to us. 

If you want to have a strong economy and be able to influence other people's and other countries, you need to talk with them in order to do that and do business with them to give yourself maximum access around the world and be able to make as much profit as possible. And have as many customers as possible as well, otherwise you are just talking and dealing with yourself, which can get lonely.