Global Forum Addresses International Issues

On the eve of Spain's general elections and with the U.S. presidential contest in full swing, political, business and industry experts at tomorrow’s inaugural Georgetown Global Forum will assert their views on the competitive implications of evolving European-U.S. relations as well as critical cultural, economic and health care issues facing the world today.

The daylong March 7 Georgetown Global Forum on Competitiveness features remarks by Jose María Aznar and a keynote speech by Anthony Lake, U.S. National Security Advisor during the administration of President Clinton. Aznar will provide insight on issues of globalization and competitiveness and Lake will discuss how the world responds to global security risks. Morning sessions will take place at the Casino de Madrid and the afternoon at the Westin Palace Hotel.

"This Forum is an opportunity for distinguished scholars, policymakers, and business leaders to convene and engage in dialogue about the most pressing issues of our time," said Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia. "I am confident that these discussions will produce meaningful and important contributions that can enrich global understanding of these issues."

Other distinguished opinion leaders, including academics and top decision makers from the world of business, politics, finance, law, medicine and additional disciplines will provide their insights and outlook through five panels: International Relations, Global Finance, International Law, Interreligious/Intercultural Understanding and Global Health.

Experts in international relations will analyze, for example, how Spain-U.S. relations may change with potentially new occupants in La Moncloa and the White House, in addition to other dynamics that define the Europe-U.S. relationship. Other sessions will cover topics such as dramatic swings in world financial markets, geopolitical confrontations, cultural intolerance and the constant battle against cancer and other diseases.

The panels include:

• International Relations, featuring Robert M. Kimmitt, deputy secretary of the U.S. Treasury, and John C. Kornblum, former U.S. ambassador to Germany and current chairman of Lazard Freres, Germany. This session will address Spain-U.S. relations as well as major economic, political and security issues likely to shape relations between Europe and the United States in the coming year.
• Global Finance, with Cathy Kinney, president and co-COO NYSE Euronext, and Martin Halusa, Worldwide CEO, Apax Partners. Panelists will focus on corporate financial strategies and international capital markets and how they are affected by the growth of hedge funds and other financial strategies.
• International Law, whose panel includes John Delaney, chairman and CEO, CapitalSource, and Robert Ruyak, managing partner and CEO, Howrey, Simon, Arnold & White, will highlight the impact of globalization on the legal profession, the challenges to the relationships between global clients and law firms and the anticipated impact on law schools preparing the next generation of international problem solvers.
• Interreligious & Intercultural Understanding, with Sadiq Al-Mahdi, former prime minister of Sudan, and Jane Dammen McAuliffe, dean of Georgetown’s undergraduate college of arts and sciences, senior fellow at Georgetown’s Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, and a renowned scholar of Islamic studies. This panel will focus on Western-Islamic relations and the impact of interreligious and intercultural issues on national competitiveness and foreign policy.
• Global Health, featuring Richard Schlegel, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Pathology at Georgetown University Medical Center, whose groundbreaking research led to the first cancer vaccine, Gardasil, which confers immunity to the human papilloma virus (HPV), the cause of cervical cancer. The panel will examine how cancer treatment will look tomorrow and how these treatments can be deployed to help those in the developing world. There are implications for improving the public health of entire populations via early prediction and prevention. 

Speeches and panel discussions will be broadcast live on the Web at www.georgetownglobalforum.com.

Source: Office of Communications

March 6, 2008