Uncategorized: New America Events

The Rise and Coming Fall of the Global Corporation

Communications — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 12:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
09/14/2005 - 12:00pm

We are used to thinking about the effects of globalization and outsourcing in terms of winners and losers: how these trends harm certain classes of American workers or benefit consumers. Barry Lynn, Fellow at New America, goes beyond the stereotypical debate about whether this economic revolution is good or bad to expose the dangerous underside of our new global economic order in his book, End of the Line: The Rise and Coming Fall of the Global Corporation.

End of the Line: The Rise and Coming Fall of the Global Corporation

By Fellow Barry C. Lynn

Lynn shows how today's economic system is a global industrial commons that is extremely fragile, and increasingly so. The real question Americans need to ask today is whether this production system is safe. Is it structured so we can count on it to provide us, given almost any foreseeable natural or political disaster, with the food and clothing and medicine and machines we need to live?

End of the Line makes clear that right now the answer is no. Our global industrial system is so tightly geared that any of a long list of normal, everyday disasters -- terror attacks, regional wars, insurrections, earthquakes, strikes, epidemics -- can lead to potentially catastrophic shutdowns of the system. End of the Line is perhaps the single most devastating indictment of laissez faire economics in a generation, based on factual evidence gathered by one of the few reporters who understands the ways today's global corporations really work. Michael Lind, Whitehead Senior Fellow at New America, moderates what promises to be a provocative and informative discussion.

WHAT THE PRESS SAYS:

"The threat that Lynn identifies is real, and it is clear that CEOs, shareholders and legislators should take note of what he has to say."

USA Today

"A sobering read."

The Washington Post

An "engaging polemic" that "offers realistic suggestions for how the U.S. government might make the world a more stable place, beginning with a greater willingness to use its antitrust clout."

Bloomberg

"A fresh argument against globalization, focused not on offshoring or trade imbalances but economic security."

USNews

A Solution to the Church State Problem in America

Communications — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 12:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
09/12/2005 - 12:00pm

Church-state issues in the United States have reached a crisis. Headlines continue to swirl around religiously charged issues such as teaching intelligent design in schools, the nomination of Judge Roberts to the Supreme Court, government display of the Ten Commandments, and the abortion issue. Add to this mix the importance of "value voters" in the most recent presidential election.

Today more than ever, ours is a religiously diverse society: Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist as well as Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish. And yet more than ever, committed Christians are making themselves felt in politics and culture. What are the implications of this paradox? What is a solution to this growing and vexing problem?

To answer these questions, New America will host a discussion featuring Noah Feldman, Fellow at the New America Foundation, and his recently published book, Divided By God: America's Church-State Problem

Kicking the Oxymoron Out of ""Government Productivity""

Communications — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 12:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
09/02/2005 - 12:00pm

Current demographic trends point to an increasingly bleak fiscal situation for federal, state and local governments. In the decades ahead, citizens will face higher taxes and fewer, lower-quality services, as well as the need to finance the baby boomers' retirement. That is, unless government executives step up to meet this challenge. As Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Mark Warner is at the forefront of this effort. He has tackled these issues directly by establishing a special commission on government efficiency in his state and pushing for legislation to streamline and redesign key government agencies and activities. What are the lessons from this three year project in Virginia? What other government entities are attempting to tackle these issues? What's working? What isn't?

The Opportunity Society: A New Policy Agenda for Youth in Foster Care

Communications — Thu, 14 Jul 2005 12:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
07/14/2005 - 12:00pm

In the United States, 20,000 youth "age out" of foster care each year without many of the same supports available to young people outside the children welfare system. How can American child welfare policy help build on the strength and skills of these young people? Four former foster youth discuss their views on ways to expand the policy horizon for children and youth in care and beyond.

Panel Two
Beyond Stockholder Value: Corporate Accountablity and Responsibility Today

Communications — Wed, 22 Jun 2005 12:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/22/2005 - 12:00pm

Tom Daschle Introduced the panel by speaking about the current epidemic of corporate scandals, citing the Enron case as the obvious example, and the steps Congress has taken to deal with these offenses.
Rep. Mike Oxley Argued that the economic nature of today's population is changing and the United States is becoming a nation of stock owners. The Enron scandal shocked a lot of people because historically, the business world has been a system based on trust and the Enron scandal demonstrated the breakdown of that trust.
Sidney Harman Spoke about the great successes that Harman International has had at enacting corporate responsibility and accountability processes.
Phillip Rudolph Voiced that companies should behave as if a shareholder is shadowing them and to always consider the impact executives' decisions have on the shareholders. Companies also have responsibility to the world as a whole and to the people the company employees.

Opening Remarks and Panel One
Beyond Idealogy: A Discussion about Deficits, Jobs, Innovation, and Offshoring

Communications — Wed, 22 Jun 2005 12:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/22/2005 - 12:00pm

Opening Remarks

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director, Congressional Budget Officeput forth that U.S. economic success has been historically based on a high reliance on private markets, relatively low government involvement in the economy, and a relatively efficient tax system. Our future economic planning must deal with the challenges of changing demography, revolutionizing technology, and soaring entitlement obligations. Our policies must be geared towards boosting national savings and controlling health care costs, while maintaining the flexible regulatory framework that has provided for America's growth so far.
Senate Minority Whip Richard Durban (D-IL)stressed the need for an economic policy that prioritizes common wealth rather than personal wealth, discussed the risks associated with a global economy through the story of the National Lock Company of Rockford, IL. Sen. Durbin proposed policies that would reform the tax code to discourage off-shoring, emphasize science and technology education, boost national research and development, control health care costs, and reduce the federal budget deficit."

Panel One
Ted Alden introduced forum by posing the question of what America will do to manage the consequences of globalization.
Ed Rendell Argued that rising health care costs, reduced competitiveness advantage, and cheap cost of outsourcing are disadvantaging the American worker. And yet, we are turning our attention away from trade. Instead, we should be using our power to implement free trade in a way that raises worker standards around the world, while protecting American workers and the American economy.
Paul Magnusson Laid out pessimistic vision for America's business prospects; said this will not be the American century, but the Asian century. We don't save enough, we have too much debt, our intellectual property is being stolen, and we have an expanding class of poor, uneducated immigrants with no health insurance.
Sherle Schwenninger Voiced that current economic growth is skewed by the housing market. Our international financial agreements are eroding long-term American competitiveness, and a global surplus of labor, savings, and capacity has us on the verge of entering a dangerous spiral. He proposed 3-part solution of shifting from private consumption to public investment, pushing hard for china and others to raise domestic wages and consumption dramatically, and to securitize private investment projects to reach their investment potential.

Luncheon Panel: What Should America's Future Economic Road Map Be?

Communications — Wed, 22 Jun 2005 12:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/22/2005 - 12:00pm

America's Eroding Economic System: Comments from an Iconoclastic CEO
Leo Hindery, Jr. Shared his insights into what is troubling the US economy; and what needs to be done to fix it. Argued that: China's subsidization of domestic technology uptake is more of a threat to the US economy than the undervaluation of the Yuan; improving the US public education system is not the economic panacea it is often presented as; and that management is accountable to multiple constituents, not including itself.

What Should America's Future Economic Road Map Be?
The Honorable Byron Dorgan (D-ND) Argued that the single most important government programs are those aimed at creating good jobs. America's economic strategy should not centre on erecting walls around the domestic economy. Instead, it should purse policies that increase purchasing power in the rest of the world, while simultaneously instituting rules to govern the global economy.

The Opportunity: America's Moment to Alter History's Course

Communications — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 12:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/15/2005 - 12:00pm

In his newly released book The Opportunity: America's Moment to Alter History's Course, Richard Haass describes a unique moment in which the United States has a chance to create a world where people are safe, free and can enjoy a higher standard of living. Out of a fear that current U.S. policies are alienating much of the world, Haass argues that the United States must use its power wisely in recognizing that it does not need the world's permission to act but does need the world's support to succeed. In The Opportunity, Haass, a former principal adviser to Colin Powell and Middle East Advisor to President George H.W. Bush attempts to answer the question: What will it take to get the world's support?
Please join Richard Haass and Steven Clemons as they discuss this unique opportunity for the U.S. to change its course in a post-Cold War, post 9-11, post Iraq War world.

What Lincoln Really Believed

Communications — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 12:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/06/2005 - 12:00pm

In his just-released book What Lincoln Believed, Michael Lind offers the most comprehensive study yet written of the beliefs and policies of America's greatest president. In addition to revealing the principles that guided Lincoln in opposing slavery and rescuing the Union during the Civil War, Lind provides an in-depth look at the public philosophy that shaped Lincoln and, through him, the United States and the modern world. According to the New York Times Book Review, What Lincoln Believed "will almost certainly change the way you think about America and one of its greatest presidents.' Please join us for a conversation with Michael Lind and Steve Clemons as they discuss the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and its relevance in today's world.

Transnational Crime, Money Laundering and "Pirate" Banking: Tales From The Global Underground Economy

Communications — Thu, 19 May 2005 12:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
05/19/2005 - 12:00pm

One of the growing and unheralded problems affecting the ability of the United States to mount a battle against terrorism and under-gird its efforts to stabilize its own domestic and international finances is the so-called global underground economy. Within this vast hidden enclave, billions of dollars flow in unaccountable way to Al Qaeda terrorists, Iraqi guerrilla fighters, rebel gangs, arms dealers, organized crime cartels, drug lords and rogue states. The two panelists, experts in the by-ways and techniques of the operators in this alternative universe, will discuss the results of their first-hand investigations into money laundering, drug trafficking, corruption and other growing sectors of this hidden and increasingly dangerous conspiracy that threatens the security of democratic states.

Hot Property: The Threat of Intellectual Property Theft to our Economy and Safety

Communications — Fri, 06 May 2005 12:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
05/06/2005 - 12:00pm

In his book Hot Property: The Stealing of Ideas in an Age of Globalization, Pat Choate argues that the flow of fake and counterfeit parts to our manufacturing and service industries is threatening our safety as well as our economy. Choate cautions that our relentless pursuit of lower-priced and unregulated medications is jeopardizing our health and also warns that the general disinterest of our government toward the protection of American intellectual property is affecting our job security and undermining our economy. Choate examines the history of our intellectual property, illustrating how the U.S. has transformed itself from a largely agricultural society into a manufacturing, scientific and technological superpower. Finally, Choate warns that global counterfeiting and pirating are diminishing the U.S. ecosystem of innovation. Please join Pat Choate, former vice presidential running mate to Ross Perot, as he lays out these important issues we now face in an age of globalization.

Working Alone or Acting Together? Comments on US-German Relations and Broader Trans-Atlantic Challenges

Communications — Wed, 27 Apr 2005 12:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/27/2005 - 12:00pm

Reception: 6:00 p.m.

Discussion: 6:45 p.m.

Two Years After Saddam's Fall: Is America's All-Volunteer Military Now At Risk?

Communications — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 12:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/07/2005 - 12:00pm

This Thursday, April 7th marks the two year anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein. Phillip Carter and Paul Glastris of The Washington Monthly have written an important piece on Iraq, the U.S. military and the potential of reinstituting the draft. Glastris and Carter write that to remain the world's superpower, the all-volunteer nature of armed forces must be addressed. Glastris and Carter will be joined by Boston Globe military correspondent Bryan Bender and foreign policy expert Steven Clemons to tackle the current and future challenges facing America's military.

The Evolution of Cities: Lessons from Humankind's Greatest Creation

Communications — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 12:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/05/2005 - 12:00pm

In his recently released book, The City: A Global History, urbanist Joel Kotkin examines the evolution of cities and urban life over thousands of years. Kotkin highlights commonalities and important lessons to be learned from the establishment and growth of our cities. The City explores the religious roots of urbanism in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and China. Kotkin continues by studying the emergence of the Classical City; Byzantium and the cities of the Middle East; the rise of Venice and subsequent commercial city-empires; the Industrial City (from London to Shanghai to Detroit); and on to the post-industrial, suburban realities of today. He concludes with a shrewd diagnosis of the problems and crises facing cities in the 21st-Century.

How Will Aging Populations Impact Global Savings?

Communications — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 11:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
04/01/2005 - 12:00pm

Aging and its implications are emerging as major social, political, and economic issues. Social Security reform is making headlines in the United States, and the long-term solvency of pension plans - both public and private - is a growing concern among key economies. Policy makers are wrestling with the fiscal consequences of aging and seeking solutions. Business leaders and investors are seeking to understand how aging will affect global markets for goods, capital and labor.
The recently released McKinsey Report titled, The Coming Demographic Deficit: How Aging Populations Will Reduce Global Savings seeks to shed light on the question: How will aging affect future levels of household wealth and economic well-being? Diana Farrell will discuss the findings of this report, which focuses on five countries - The United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy. Phillip Longman, an expert on demographics and aging, will offer comments on his own recently published book and how issues of demographics relate to global savings.

Hunting Eric Rudolph: Inside the Investigation

Communications — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
03/28/2005 - 12:00pm

Worldwide attention is focused on a manhunt based in the remote mountainous regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, targeting Osama bin Laden. Yet, recent history holds lessons and insight from an amazing fugitive story based on American soil, seeking the capture of the notorious Olympic Park Bomber, Eric Rudolph. Henry Schuster, senior producer of CNN's Investigative Unit, expertly chronicles one of the most massive manhunts of the modern era in Hunting Eric Rudolph. Schuster covered the entire case and draws many lessons from a fascinating situation that he argues could have been avoided from the very beginning. Schuster, who specializes in the coverage of terrorism, will discuss the case, as well as the threat of domestic terrorism and what connection or parallels exist with al Qaeda.

An Assessment of the Iraqi Elections: First Hand Accounts and Perspectives

Communications — Thu, 24 Feb 2005 11:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
02/24/2005 - 12:00pm

savings and ownership Caucus

Communications — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 11:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
02/17/2005 - 12:00pm

Regaining America's Footing in

Communications — Mon, 07 Feb 2005 15:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
02/07/2005 - 12:02pm

Summary of Remarks
In the final session of the Real State of the Union, panelists challenged US foreign policy to adapt to major impending shifts in geopolitics and geo-economics.
Many have used the Roman Empire as an analogy for America's role in the world today. The "triumphalists" declare that the United States is at the peak of its rule while the "declinists" warn of impending ruin. Michael Lind rejected both of these extreme interpretations, arguing that the United States will continue to be a major and significant force, albeit just one of several in a multipolar world. Although the U.S. is the only nation capable of projecting its military power across the globe, Lind argued, it has failed to translate its military might into influence and leverage in diplomatic and economic arenas.
Lind also drew attention to the fast-growing populations and economies of India and China. As their wealth increases, so will their power in the world. According to Lind, this will have two major consequences for U.S. foreign policy. First, U.S. traditional Western allies will be of diminishing importance. Second, the U.S. will be forced to reconsider its blanket opposition to regional hegemony.
Sherle Schwenninger warned that the nation's focus on a "heroic foreign policy" has led to the neglect of two issues that are central to America's position in the world, national security, and economic well being: oil and the dollar. Schwenninger described major shifts that have occurred in the international financial system and global oil market. In both cases, he argued the new order will be detrimental to US interests: the new orders are based on neither market principles nor managed governance, they will diminish U.S. influence, and they will render the US less economically secure.
After twenty years of successfully managing global oil prices, the U.S has recently alienated key oil producers (Russia, Venezuela and Iran) and lost the confidence of key consuming economies. Schwenninger described a future, dual oil market in which the alienated producers enter into preferential, long-term supply arrangements with untrusting consumers, leaving the United States to absorb price shocks in the shrinking general market.
Following the Asian financial crisis, most of the big Asian economies have turned away from capital liberalization. Instead, in order to ensure advantageous trade relationships and a competitive economy, they have pegged their currencies and built up their currency reserves to support the dollar. The result, Schwenninger cautioned, is an international financial system based on mercantile principles and controlled by Asian economies. Schwenninger argued that this has reinforced an already unhealthy balance in which Asia produces, the U.S. consumes, and Asia foots the bill.
Finally, Robert Wright argued that the world's perception of American legitimacy at the grassroots level matters to national security. Negative attitudes toward the United States fuel terrorist recruitment. Also, as many nations are democracies, garnering the cooperation of governments will increasingly require earning the respect of their citizens. Moreover, due to technological advances, leaders can now be in touch with public sentiment on an hourly basis.
This change will force the United States to rethink its foreign policy, Wright predicted. During the Cold War, the winning strategy was to ensure nations either liked you or feared you, but the calculation is no longer that simple. Now, if by making some countries fear the United States, the negative repercussions within that populace may outweigh any benefit.
In order to increase its legitimacy, Wright urges the United States to utilize and nurture the evolution of multi-lateral institutions, which have been deemed legitimate avenues for the exercise of power and influence. Like Lind, Wright expects America's economic and military might to wane. Therefore, it will be in the United States' interest to develop a world in which having predominant force is not a prerequisite for defending national security interests.
Synopsis written by Robynn Sturm, Research Associate at the New America Foundation

Opening Remarks:How Divided is America?

Communications — Mon, 07 Feb 2005 15:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
02/07/2005 - 12:02pm

Summary of Remarks
In this first session of the Real State of the Union, panelists debunked the red-state/blue-state myth, imagining new ways to describe the great American divide, or lack thereof. Moderator Adrian Wooldrige posed the question: is the American union strong or hopelessly divided? Jonathan Rauch used the term "bipolar disorder" to describe the American divide, claiming that the country is quite united, with opinions between parties differing by degree rather than by entrenched stance. Rauch stated that more and more people are describing themselves as moderates or independents. The bipolarity enters when one examines the partisans, where the American political system and its main players gravitate toward the extreme, creating a truly divided political system.
Following Mr. Rauch, William Powers described the role of the media in expressing and possibly exaggerating this divide. Whereas in prior centuries media was truly diverse -- with literally hundreds of ragtag newspapers available on a typical street in Manhattan -- media is now limited to relatively few papers and networks, with bloggers providing the some divergence from the mainstream. Mr. Powers also demonstrated that the ideal of objectivity is a relatively new one that has never been entirely achievable. Today's consumers of media are ever-more skeptical of objectivity, creating what Mr. Powers hopes will be a more responsive, self-correcting media.
Ms. Hanna Rosin described a divide in a group that most see as monolithically conservative: Christians. Rather than lump Christians and their various denominations together, Ms. Rosin argued that a traditionalist Catholic has more in common with a traditionalist Evangelical than a modernist Catholic. This has allowed alliances to form between religions, alliances that the Bush administration has been able to utilize.
Finally, Mr. Jed Purdy further expanded Mr. Rauch's themes that politics and politicians are divided while the country largely isn't. To deconstruct this idea Mr. Purdy considered how politics relates to American culture at large, if it is not simply a manifestation of public opinion and intent expressed through votes. He hypothesized that partisans identify narrow issues on which the country is fairly evenly split and make them definitive of political identity. Where voters stand on these issues

Uncategorized: New America Events

The Rise and Coming Fall of the Global Corporation

A Solution to the Church State Problem in America

Kicking the Oxymoron Out of ""Government Productivity""

The Opportunity Society: A New Policy Agenda for Youth in Foster Care

Panel TwoBeyond Stockholder Value: Corporate Accountablity and Responsibility Today

Opening Remarks and Panel OneBeyond Idealogy: A Discussion about Deficits, Jobs, Innovation, and Offshoring

Luncheon Panel: What Should America's Future Economic Road Map Be?

The Opportunity: America's Moment to Alter History's Course

What Lincoln Really Believed

Transnational Crime, Money Laundering and "Pirate" Banking: Tales From The Global Underground Economy

Hot Property: The Threat of Intellectual Property Theft to our Economy and Safety

Working Alone or Acting Together? Comments on US-German Relations and Broader Trans-Atlantic Challenges

Two Years After Saddam's Fall: Is America's All-Volunteer Military Now At Risk?

The Evolution of Cities: Lessons from Humankind's Greatest Creation

How Will Aging Populations Impact Global Savings?

Hunting Eric Rudolph: Inside the Investigation

An Assessment of the Iraqi Elections: First Hand Accounts and Perspectives

savings and ownership Caucus

Regaining America's Footing in

Opening Remarks:How Divided is America?

Panel Two
Beyond Stockholder Value: Corporate Accountablity and Responsibility Today

Opening Remarks and Panel One
Beyond Idealogy: A Discussion about Deficits, Jobs, Innovation, and Offshoring