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2019 Articles

Pulse News Mexico •

USMCA: Approval and Economic Boost in Sight

A big push is under way to achieve approval in the U.S. House of Representatives for the newly amended United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the new NAFTA, before the end of the year. The deadline goal appears to be congressional action by Dec. 20, at the latest.

Supporters of USMCA are working hard to complete the procedures needed for action by in the U.S. House of Representatives and to secure as many votes as possible there for the agreement, so the USMCA heads to the U.S. Senate w
Wilson Center •

North America 2.0: A Workforce Development Agenda

As new technology reshapes workplaces and jobs across North America, the United States, Mexico, and Canada need to reinvent the ways that they educate, train, and re-skill their workforces. With Mexico and Canada now the United States’ two largest economic partners, more than ever the three countries need to work together to effectively and equitably manage the massive transformations ahead in the skills needed by tomorrow’s employees.

Already, employers across the continent are having difficul
Woodrow Wilson Center •

North America 2.0: A Workforce Development Agenda

A new report examining the need for the United States, Mexico and Canada to collaborate on workforce development in order to better meet the massive challenges of new technologies transforming work and workplaces over the next few years. governments, the private sector, educational institutions need to find and implement new models of skills training and preparing for the changes brought by new technology or face serious social, political and economic disruptions.
TheHill •

USMCA: So near, or just too far?

A big push is under way to achieve U.S. approval for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the new NAFTA, but important gaps remain between the parties. The most recent deadline goal appears to be congressional action by Dec. 20, at the latest.

Missing that deadline could delay approval until 2021 and leave the continent’s economies under a cloud of uncertainty. Approving the USMCA could bring a needed economic boost to the millions of jobs supported by commerce with America’s two largest t
Pulse News Mexico •

A Fresh Approach to Peace in Afghanistan

An effective peace process is possible and desirable in Afghanistan. Success, however, will require a careful, step-by-step course to test bona fides, build confidence, reduce violence and encourage the difficult negotiations in which Afghans themselves determine the political future of Afghanistan.

U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad has been working to re-engage the peace process in visits to the region, in meetings with international players, and in fostering last month’s detainee s
Urban Institute •

Apprenticeship and Other Work-Based Learning Programs in North America

The apprenticeship movement is reshaping skills, policies, and programs in the United States at a critical moment in our country’s history. I was happy to be leader author in the first article in this reader. The collection offers a chorus of voices emanating from different countries and populations, echoing commitment to bright, sustainable workforce futures through a well-crafted approach to this talent development model. The collected chapters and vignettes address questions for businesses of all sizes, community-based organizations, and schools looking for a way
TheHill •

A fresh approach to peace in Afghanistan

An effective peace process is possible and desirable in Afghanistan. Success, however, will require a careful, step-by-step course to test bona fides, build confidence, reduce violence and encourage the difficult negotiations in which Afghans themselves determine the political future of Afghanistan.

U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad has been working to re-engage the peace process in visits to the region, in meetings with international players, and in fostering the just completed deta
Pulse News Mexico •

More Effective US-Mexico Cooperation Is Urgently Needed

An abbreviated version of the following article first appeared in Fox News Opinion and is being republished in Pulse News Mexico with specific prior permission.

The horrific Nov. 4 killing of U.S. citizen women and children in Sonora, Mexico, should prompt closer and more effective U.S.-Mexico cooperation against the cross-border organized crime that is seriously endangering citizens of both countries. These transnational criminal groups are undermining the sovereignty of both countries daily.
Pulse News Mexico •

Democrats’ Clash with Trump Must Not Imperil USMCA Passage

It is increasingly urgent that the United States achieve stability and predictability with its two largest trading partners. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warns of a “synchronized global slowdown” powered significantly by trade tensions, and the Institute of International Finance flags 20-year highs in global trade and economic uncertainty.

“Getting to Yes” on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) this year would diminish these threats in North America.

Mexico and Canada ar
TheHill •

Democrats' clashes with Trump must not imperil trade with Mexico and Canada

It is increasingly urgent that the United States achieve stability and predictability with its two largest trading partners. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warns of a “synchronized global slowdown” powered significantly by trade tensions, and the Institute of International Finance flags 20-year highs in global trade and economic uncertainty.

“Getting to Yes” on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) this year would diminish these threats in North America.

Mexico and Canada ar
Pulse News Mexico •

Afghanistan: Where Do We Go from Here?

The following article first appeared in the U.S. political website “The Hill” and is being republished in Pulse News Mexico with specific prior permission.

It is in the strong interest of Afghanistan, its neighbors, its international partners and especially, the United States, that the Afghanistan peace process not be abandoned, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaring the U.S.-Taliban talks “dead.”

No party can win a military victory any time soon in current circumstances, and Afghans
Pulse News Mexico •

Mexico Seeking Stronger Ties with US

Because of the current U.S. trade dispute with China, Mexico has become United States’ Number 1 trade partner. Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Relations (SRE) Marcelo Ebrard met in Washington, D.C. with U.S. officials on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in an effort to put U.S.-Mexico cooperation on firmer footing, and especially to overcome U.S. threats tied to migration and move ahead with the new United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA).

Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) has b
TheHill •

Mexico, the leading US trade partner, seeks to fortify relations

Because of the U.S. trade dispute with China, Mexico has become America’s No. 1 trading partner. Mexico’s foreign minister is scheduled to be in Washington for meetings Tuesday, in an effort to put U.S.-Mexico cooperation on firmer footing, especially to overcome U.S. threats tied to migration and to move ahead with the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA).

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, known as “AMLO,” has been laboring to bring about what he views as a historic transformation in Mexico ...
Pulse News Mexico •

US-Taliban Negotiations: How to Avoid a Rush to Failure

We strongly support a negotiated peace in Afghanistan, a limited force drawdown as part of getting peace negotiations going, and the substantial force drawdown later that peace would allow.

Equally strongly, we believe that U.S. security and values, including support for women, require that a full troop withdrawal can come only after a real peace. How our troop presence is managed will have a critical influence on the chances for successful peace negotiations, the future of the fight against th
Atlantic Council •

US-Taliban Negotiations: How to Avoid Rushing to Failure

This is a collaborative product of former US diplomatic officials who have worked on Afghanistan.

We strongly support a negotiated peace in Afghanistan, a limited force drawdown as part of getting peace negotiations going, and the substantial force drawdown later that peace would allow.

Equally strongly, we believe that US security and values, including support for women, require that a full troop withdrawal come only after a real peace. How our troop presence is managed will have a critical
Pulse News Mexico •

Border Security and Counter-Narcotics

(The following article first appeared in the Woodrow Wilson Center’s web site and is being republished in Pulse News Mexico with specific prior permission.

Cross-border criminal activity fueled by illegal drugs is causing great damage in both Mexico and the United States. The two governments need to prioritize forging an agreed strategy and action agenda to tackle this serious problem. They should establish a permanent cabinet-level group to oversee bilateral counter-narcotics and cross-border
Pulse News Mexico •

Is Peace Actually on the Horizon in Afghanistan?

The momentum for peace in Afghanistan is growing. The progress over the last year is far more than many “Afghan hands” have imagined.

At present, U.S.-Taliban talks are apparently making progress on addressing U.S. counterterrorism concerns and on U.S. military withdrawal plans and timetables. Though the Taliban have so far refused to negotiate with the Afghan government, a well-publicized informal meeting in Doha, Qatar, between Taliban members and representatives from Kabul — including women
CSIS •

Is Peace Actually on the Horizon in Afghanistan?

Is Peace Actually on the Horizon in Afghanistan?

The momentum for peace in Afghanistan is growing. The progress over the last year is far more than many “Afghan hands” imagined.

At present, U.S.-Taliban talks are apparently making progress on addressing U.S. counterterrorism concerns and on U.S. military withdrawal plans and timetables. Though the Taliban have so far refused to negotiate with the Afghan government, a well-publicized informal meeting in Doha, Qatar between Taliban members and r
Pulse News Mexico •

How the US Can Sustain Progress with Mexico on Migration

The United States and Mexico escaped U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of mutually destructive tariffs with a June 7 agreement on steps to reduce migrant flows to the United States. Mexico since has dramatically improved its efforts to reduce the number of Central American and other migrants reaching the U.S.-Mexico border.

The number of migrants apprehended at the U.S. border reportedly dropped to under 100,000 in June from 144,000 in May, a reduction of over 30 percent. Mexico deported 22,
Pulse News Mexico •

USMCA’s Path to Passage Is Bumpy, but Its Promised Stability is Sorely Needed

U.S. Congressional Democrats and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) are inching toward agreement on key elements of the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is aiming to achieve congressional approval of the new trade agreement during September or October, when it still may be possible to get it through the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives before 2020 electio
Pulse News Mexico •

Argentina Moves Toward the Center

Argentina will face tough challenges when its freshly elected president takes office in December, after the elections set for Oct. 27, 2019. Its inflation is among the highest in the world, at nearly 50 percent last year. The economy is in its second year of recession. Unemployment has topped 10 percent, after more than a decade in the single digits.

The country had to negotiate an unprecedented $57 billion agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to avert the prospect of a debt def
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