The Americas Forecast: 2010-2020 Forum

PODER Magazine in partnership with The America’s Business Council Foundation (abc*), is pleased to present The Americas Forecast: 2010-2020 Forum. In a world of contrasts and rapid change, please join us for a one-day forum to discuss the pressing issues that will undoubtedly impact our lives both here in the Americas and around the world. At the forum, you will have the opportunity to meet with leading experts in politics, economics, foreign policy, media, health, technology, and science.

The first ten years of the 21^st century have brought us transformational and tectonic shifts in technology, globalization and the rise of the emerging markets. Now, faced with a global crisis, the largest of the emerging markets are rebounding at a faster rate than economies in the Western world. Will this prove to be a dramatic psychological boost for emerging markets as they push for more economic and political strength that is independent from the Western world? In June of this year, Brazil, Russia, India and China met to rival the economic discussions of the G8. What should we expect in the next ten years from these four countries?

China is the world’s most populated nation but also arguably the fastest changing country. Today, China is in its 11th Five-Year-Economic-Program with the specific goal of pushing a redistribution in the world order of political, economic and military might. Will China’s reforms be hampered by environmental and social unrest? As the Chinese dragon pushes for “harmonious reform” there is no doubt that eyes are also on the Indian Tiger. India is a world of contrasts but as India rises, it faces significant obstacles in its antiquated infrastructure, its corruption and layered inefficiencies. Will it find the balance from its growing pains to become the dominant voice of the G20+?

In the context of the wider geo-politics, Latin America continues to fight systemic problems that force it to regress. The perpetuation in power of Hugo Chavez, the continuous corrosion of the social and political structures in Mexico by the cash avalanche of the Mexican drug cartels, the trickling down effect that Mexico’s problems are increasingly causing on countries in Central America - such as Guatemala and the accusations made to Ecuador’s Rafael Correa for taking funds from Colombian FARC all play a very destructive role in these countries. What are the next steps that Latin American leaders should take? How can the ‘Lost Continent’ find itself again and catch up with the current global trend? Not to mention the growing link between Latin America and the Middle East.

SESSION ONE - Innovation

A pragmatic utopian architecture for 2020

Architecture seems to be entrenched in two equally unfertile fronts: Either naively utopian or petrifying pragmatic. We believe that there is a third way wedged either in the no mans land between the diametrical opposites or in the small but very fertile overlap between the two. A pragmatic utopian architecture that takes on the creation of socially, economically and environmentally perfect places as a practical objective. Bjarke Ingels, head of the Copehangen-based architectural group BIG, will travel to Miami to share with the guests of the Reconciliaton Forum his vision for a new architecture.

Speaker: Bjarke Ingels

Investment: The next decade

Latin America presents remarkable investment opportunities, which demand international partnerships. In large parts of the region economic growth is increasingly evident and all throughout the continent natural resources are plentiful—the region has the largest energy reserves outside of the Middle East, for one. Yet, political instability, insecurity and corruption encourage the world to be cautious about Latin America’s investment prospects. Joint Peter Kellner, founder of UHURU Capital Management, in analyzing the outlook for investment in the region for the next ten years.

Speaker: Peter Kellner, Founder, UHURU

The rapid transformation of media, 2010-2020

Media has undergone a substantial and swift transformation in the last decade, both in format and content. Traditional forms of media have been quickly and systematically replaced by new ones, and this pattern of continuous change and progress will persist during the next ten years. From an increasing focus on digital media at the expense of printed news, to the expanding influence of instant news sources such as Twitter in the coverage of the world’s most important events, the future of media promises to be dynamic and transformative. Listen to Jonathan Martin, Senior Political Writer at Politico. com, who will discuss the future of media during the next decade—and the impact it will have on fostering positive social change and safeguarding young democracies in Latin America and the world at large.

Speaker: Jonathan Martin, Politico.com

SESSION TWO - Misconceptions about Islam

The rise in terrorism, the link between Islam and repressive regimes and the ever-present religious divide have all led to an increase in intolerance and agression worldwide. While this has been the trend during the past ten years, the following decade offers an unparalled oppoturnity to clarify the misconeptions that have culminated in the current hostile situation. Imad-ad-Dean Ahman, American Muslim scholar and frequent guest lecturer at the Foreign Services Institute, will present his forecast for a less divisive and better understood Islam in the following decade.

Speaker: Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, Ph.D.

SESSION THREE - Dealbook

Andrew Ross Sorkin, editor and founder of Dealbook will speak about the financial news service he created and the effect it has had on the loyal New York Times readers interested in obtaining up-to-the-minute financial coverage.

Speaker: Andrew Ross Sorkin

SESSION FOUR - The Americas: a ten-year overview

Cesar Gaviria, former President of Colombia, offers his perspective of the next ten years within the Americas. How will governments avoid institutional crisis like the one Honduras endured in mid-2009? What can governments do to eliminate insecurity in most of Latin America’s large cities? How will differing and opposing political ideologies in the region be reconciled so that conflicts may be avoided in the next decade?

SESSION FIVE - The bipolar regional disorder: The effects of Brazil 2010 – 2020

Brazil has recently proven to be a regional leader and the most important emerging market in Latin America. It set an example for other countries in the region by quickly rebounding from the global financial crisis, making it a force to be reckoned with in the post-crisis dawn. The United States, on the other hand, is used to being the main player in the Western Hemisphere. How can these two powerful forces co-exist in the same continent, and more importantly, how can they develop an alliance of cooperation that will consolidate and further their particular interests?

Speakers: Jonathan Wheatley, Correspondent, Financial Times

SESSION SIX - Labor mobility

In an increasingly globalized world, more often than not, people are likely to actively seek richer opportunities in foreign countries. Immigration reform has not moved at an equal pace, creating a socially and legally unacceptable situation for millions of immigrants. The North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), for example, displaced millions of Mexicans that have remained in the United States illegally for over a decade now. Listen to Michael Clemens discuss the outlook for this social crisis and the desirable developments that could bring an end to this situation and replace it with a landscape of opportunity and growth.

Speaker: Michael Clemens, Ph.D. Harvard University, Research Fellow, Center for Global Development

SESSION SEVEN - The Hispanic community in 2020

Hispanics have accounted for 50.5% of the overall population growth in the United States during this decade, making the nation’s largest minority group one of the most influential forces in the culture, economy and politics of this country. With the voter turnout rate rising 2.7 percentage points in the 2008 presidential election (from 47.2% in 2004 to 49.9%), U.S. Hispanic purchasing power at nearly $700 billion today (and projected to reach as much as $1 trillion by 2010), and the number of Spanish-speaking Latinos in the United States expected to reach 40.2 million by 2025 (up from 27.8 million today), the Hispanic community will unquestionably a cure remarkable and unprecedented decision-making power during the next ten years.

Speaker: Adolfo Carrion, White House Director of Urban Affairs

SESSION EIGHT - 2010-2020: The Future of the Region

Latin America has developed and grown tremendously over the past decade — such has been its transformation during this time that it has, for the first time, become less dependent on the United States and begun tilting toward greater economic integration with China, Iran and the global “south.” The region has steadily risen as a powerful player on the world stage. Yet, it faces enourmous challenges, having experienced numerous political crisis and profound economic hardship over the last several years. What are the prospects for the region as a whole and for the individual countries? Is there a way to achieve greater integration in spite of the region-wide ideological divide? How will Latin America fare after the global recession and what will be its most unique competitive advantage during the next economic boom?

Speakers: Jorge Fernando “Tuto” Quiroga (Bolivia), Cesar Nava (Mexico), Ambassador Craig A. Kelly, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Representative of General and Douglas Fraser, Commander, USSOUTHCOM