Mickey
Kantor Speaks at Barnard on the Politics of Trade
New
York, NY— Former Commerce Secretary and U.S. Trade Representative
Mickey Kantor, was the kickoff speaker in a new lecture series
at Barnard on important economic, social, and political issues.
Kantor, who worked in the Clinton administration and is now
national chair for General Wesley Clark’s presidential
campaign, warned the audience on Thursday evening January
29 in Barnard Hall that political leaders risked losing credibility
on the importance of international trade in the debate over
the direction of the U.S. economy.
Kantor rejected the argument that the jobless recovery was
the result of trade agreements, such as NAFTA. As the largest
trading nation on Earth, the United States has to rebuild
the perception that international trade rightly is a positive
benefit and reject "the forces of no-nothingness."
Trade is "not a philosophical question," Kantor
said, noting that trade makes up 33 percent of the American
economy. "This is a fact and our loss of credibility
on this issue is dangerous," he said.
The lecture was sponsored jointly by the Office of Provost
and the Departments of Economics and Political Science. Kantor
is a partner at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, an international
law firm headquartered in Chicago Kantor is married to a Barnard
alumna, former NBC News reporter Heidi Schulman, and is the
father of a Barnard graduate, Leslie Kantor.
New
York, NY— Former Commerce Secretary and U.S. Trade Representative
Mickey Kantor, was the kickoff speaker in a new lecture series
at Barnard on important economic, social, and political issues.
Kantor, who worked in the Clinton administration and is now
national chair for General Wesley Clark’s presidential
campaign, warned the audience on Thursday evening January
29 in Barnard Hall that political leaders risked losing credibility
on the importance of international trade in the debate over
the direction of the U.S. economy.