Monday, June 27, 2016

LatAm in Focus: Eric Farnsworth on the North American Leaders' Summit

By Carin Zissis

In the wake of Brexit, the Canadian, Mexican, and U.S. leaders can shine a light on the benefits of integration, says the AS/COA vice president.

</p> <div class="wrapper" style="width: 100%;"> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5" style="width: 30%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;"><em><b style="font-size: 20px;"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/Eric_155_2.jpg" style="width: 100%; height: 100%;" /></b></em></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> <p>Days after British voters opted to for their country to break away from the Europe Union, the heads of state of Canada, Mexico, and the United States come together in Ottawa. In this podcast, Americas Society/Council of the Americas Vice President Eric Farnsworth tells AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis that when the three leaders meet on June 29, they will be “very conscious” of Brexit and seeking ways “to speak positively about North America as an economic space and the benefits to all three of our countries that have come from economic integration.”</p> <p>But Brexit will be far from the only topic on the agenda for Presidents Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico, Barack Obama of the United States, and their host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Farnsworth outlines the topics the leaders will take up, from climate change to borders to Western Hemisphere concerns like Venezuelan instability and Central American security.</p> <table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5" style="width: 40%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;"><em><b style="font-size: 20px;">"</b></em><em><b style="font-size: 20px;">The elephant in the room is the U.S. presidential elections</b></em><em><b style="font-size: 20px;">."</b></em></p> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>And, with the <a href="http://www.as-coa.org/us2016">U.S. election</a> casting a protectionist shadow over the meeting, Farnsworth says Obama, Peña Nieto, and Trudeau should send a message about how to build on North American trade through the <a href="http://www.as-coa.org/articles/explainer-what-trans-pacific-partnership">Trans-Pacific Partnership</a>. “One of the things that three leaders can, and in my view should, be doing in Ottawa is providing very clear rationale for why trade is not just good for us in North America, but why we should be working together to try to expand it,” he says.</p> <p><em>Luisa Leme contributed production support to this episode.</em></p> <hr /> <p><strong>Enjoy this podcast? <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/latin-america-in-focus/id1089353175" target="_blank">Subscribe to Latin America in Focus on iTunes</a>!</strong></p> <hr />

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LatAm in Focus: Eric Farnsworth on the North American Leaders' Summit

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