The Week at CSIS: the speeches, discussions, and events from February 13 — February 17
CSIS hosts over 2,000 events a year, from major public speeches to small briefings. Join us here for an inside look at the events of the week.
Trade and Investment in Nigeria
How can the Nigerian government help to reverse course and boost foreign investment? How will the new Trade Facilitation Agreement impact the ease of doing business in Nigeria? And what role can the U.S. government and U.S. companies play?
H.E. Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, Nigeria’s Minister of Trade, Industry, and Investmen, joined the CSIS Africa Program for a discussion on recent economic developments and trends in Nigeria. Due in large part to the fall in oil prices, Nigeria’s economy finds itself in recession for the first time in decades. Dr. Enelamah discussed the road to recovery through the lens of trade and investment.
Debate: European Missile Defenses for NATO
The Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) and Ploughshares Fund commenced a debate series on a range of nuclear challenges and policy decisions the Trump administration will face in 2017. The debate series aims to provide a forum for in-depth exploration of arguments on both sides of key nuclear policy issues.
At this first debate, participants were asked to address the following statement: Resolved — The U.S. should continue to expand European missile defenses for NATO.
The current approach to European missile defenses emerged prior to the conclusion of the agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program (JCPOA) at a time when missile threats from beyond the European theater dominated the European Security landscape. Since that time, much has changed, including the Russian annexation of Crimea and finalization of the JCPOA nuclear deal with Iran. This shifting security landscape has returned the spotlight to European missile defenses — but views on the way forward diverge sharply. While some call for expanded missile defenses to bolster assurances to NATO partners, others call for pausing the program before a new site is built in Poland as a means to deescalate tensions with Russia. Thomas Karako and Frank Rose presented arguments in favor of expanding U.S. missiles defenses for NATO, and Joseph Cirincione and Philip Coyle argued against.
Book Forum on “Modernizing China: Investing in Soft Infrastructure”
The Simon Chair in Political Economy and the Freeman Chair in China Studies hosted a discussion on a new book published by the International Monetary Fund, “Modernizing China: Investing in Soft Infrastructure.” As China continues to launch reforms to restructure its economy and promote more efficient growth, this volume proposes guidelines for strengthening fiscal and monetary frameworks, continuing reform of state-owned enterprises, developing policy to address financial risks, and improving the dissemination of macroeconomic statistics.
Reinvigorating U.S. Economic Strategy in the Asia Pacific
The CSIS Simon Chair in Political Economy, Scholl Chair in International Business, and Southeast Asia Program launched a new report, “Reinvigorating U.S. Economic Strategy in the Asia Pacific: Recommendations for the Incoming Administration,” by the CSIS Asia Economic Strategy Commission.
The Asia Economic Strategy Commission was founded in September 2015 under the leadership of Charlene Barshefsky, Evan Greenberg, and Jon Huntsman. The commission consisted of 18 national leaders with extensive experience in government, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and academia. The goal of the the commission was to develop a reinvigorated U.S. economic strategy in a changing Asia Pacific. At this event, the three cochairs discussed the commission’s findings and recommendations.
P20: Ending Extreme Poverty
The CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development led a public panel discussion on the P20 Initiative. The P20 Initiative aims to track the progress and improve information about the lives of the poorest 20 percent of people worldwide in order to tackle extreme poverty. The P20 is a universally applicable concept which emphasizes the shared nature of challenges such as job creation, nutrition, and security — as well as the universal risks of failure to include the P20 in progress in these areas.
The Road to Market Rebalance: Oil & Gas in 2017
We enter the new year with higher oil prices, but also the continued questions around the implementation of and compliance with announced OPEC and non-OPEC supply cutbacks, resurgent U.S. production, potential increases from Nigeria, Libya, and elsewhere, enormous stocks, and various forecasts of new demand growth. Against this backdrop, the CSIS Energy & National Security Program put on a discussion with Rusty Braziel (RBN Energy), Sarah Emerson (ESAI Energy), Kurt Barrow (IHS Energy), and Adam Sieminski (CSIS) on where U.S. domestic and global oil and gas markets are heading in 2017.
Saving for Development in Latin America and the Caribbean
The CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development hosted a panel discussion with Eduardo Cavallo and Tomás Serebrisky. Eduardo Cavallo is a Lead Economist at the Research Department of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and Tomás Serebrisky is the Principal Economic Advisor at the IDB. In 2016, they co-authored a book titled Saving for Development: How Latin America and the Caribbean Can Save More and Better in which they argue that saving in the region is inadequate and that a more efficient savings approach can enhance economic growth and development. All the materials related to the book (including the book itself) can be downloaded for free from: www.iadb.org/savings.
Blockchain Technology and Global Development
An expert panel examined the applications of blockchain technology in developing economies, including the challenges and opportunities for blockchain technology to deliver development impact.
Blockchain technology — a free, secure, distributed online ledger — has the potential to be one of the most important development innovations of the 21st Century. While the full scope of its application is still being determined, developing countries are already using blockchain technology to help citizens send and receive remittances, improve land title registration, and extend credit.
The World Bank and the American Interest
The CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development hosted a panel discussion with Pamela Cox, former Senior Vice President at the World Bank. The conversation focused on the current global development challenges that the U.S. is facing, and how the multilateral development banks (MDBs) can help tackle them. The range of services MDBs offer — from financing to global partnerships and knowledge — could be useful in furthering U.S. policy interests in the developing world. As the World Bank Group’s largest shareholder, the U.S. has much to benefit from a continued relationship with MDBs and similar multilateral institutions.
To register for any of our events or watch them live, visit www.csis.org/events (updated daily).
