Global Trade Focus of World Affairs Council Programs

The World Affairs Council of Western North Carolina has announced its fall program to begin Friday, September 15 and continuing monthly through January. The series, Global Trade 2000, brings nationally recognized authorities to Asheville to discuss the complexities of expanding free trade and their effects at national and local levels. The September 15 program will be presented in Humanities Lecture Hall on the UNCA campus.  All subsequent programs will be held in UNCA's Owen Conference Center.

Dr. Jerry Leach, former Director of International Economic Affairs at the National Security Council and now president of the World Affairs Councils of America, will be the speaker on September 15. While at the NSC, Dr. Leach designed the US import-export ban on elephant ivory and oversaw scientific, environmental, and nuclear non-proliferation issues. Dr. Leach will speak on "Congress and the American People: The Foreign Policy Gap."

The trade issues addressed by the World Affairs Council series have been debated in Congress and will be an issue in this fall's presidential and congressional campaigns. Last December, demonstrations in Seattle over the World Trade Organization's global trade rules intensified the debate about the changes, for better or worse, increasing globalization brings, not only to national economies but also to long-established cultural and social structures.  Issues such as these directly impact Western North Carolina's growing international business ties, general economic prosperity, and employment and job growth.  The talks will continue one Monday each month from October through January.

Dr. Michael J. Mazarr, Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning and Development at the Electronic Industries Alliance, will speak Monday, October 9 on "Americanization or Globalization? The Value of Culture in a Shrinking World." A dynamic speaker and former editor of The Washington Quarterly, Dr. Mazarr is the author of the acclaimed book, Global Trends 2005: An Owner's Manual for the Next Decade.

Don Wallace, Jr., will speak November 6 on the difficulty of establishing legal standards for international agreements that are acceptable to widely divergent countries and cultures, in a talk entitled, "Whose Standards and Conventions? The Rule of Law in Global Transactions." Dr. Wallace is chairman of the International Law Institute and Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center and serves as the chief U.S. delegate to the U.N. Commission on International Trade Law.

On December 4, Gary Burtless will address the issue of "Winners and Losers in Globalizing Economies: "Do Losers Deserve Compensation?" A Senior Fellow, Economics Study Program at the Brookings Institution, Dr. Burtless formerly served as Economist to the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.

In the final lecture on January 8, Thomas Caster of Volvo Construction Equipment, N.A., will discuss issues surrounding Volvo's purchase of Samsung 's heavy equipment division. Volvo, headquartered in Asheville and with a newly acquired Korean subsidiary, and Mr. Caster, a Swedish citizen, epitomize the global nature of modern business and highlight its impact on our local economy.

A member of the World Affairs Councils of America based in Washington, DC, the World Affairs Council of WNC was established in 1988 to promote international understanding and enable the WNC region to become more aware of the relationship between local concerns and global issues. It is an independent organization affiliated with UNC Asheville.

Admission to any lecture is $4. Members of the Council and students with a valid ID are admitted to all programs in the series at no charge. Annual membership in the Council costs $30 for an individual, $40 for a couple. For more information about the series or particular lectures, please call the World Affairs Council at 828/250-3828.

Media Contacts:

• Sarah-Ann Smith, World Affairs Council director, 828/250-3828
• Jill Yarnall, UNCA Public Information assistant, 828/251-6526