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Qubad Talabani at Florida International Summit 2008,
Focused on Finance, Trade Issues |
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Qubad Talabani at Florida International Summit
2008, Focused on Finance, Trade Issues
24.4.2008
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April
24, 2008
Business, government and academic leaders from the
United States and other countries discussed
international finance and trade, as well as
Florida’s role in the global economy, during a
statewide public forum Wednesday, April 16, at the
University of Central Florida.
Nearly 400 people participated in the “Florida
International Summit 2008: The State of Global
Finance and Trade,” which featured three keynote
speakers and two panels. The event was sponsored by
the UCF Global Perspectives Office.
Opening keynote speaker John Adams, the president of
Enterprise Florida, Inc., started on a positive
note, saying, “The sky is not falling. Florida is
rocking and rolling.” He noted that there is demand
everywhere for exports and that companies --
especially companies in Central Florida with a focus
on technology and, more recently, life sciences --
can export just about anything they want. In
addition to English, the languages of business in
the 21st century will increasingly be Chinese and
Spanish, Adams said, and those languages should be
emphasized in schools. |
Qubad Talabani is representative of the Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) to the United States |
The first panel of the day, moderated by John C.
Bersia, special assistant to the president for
Global Perspectives at UCF, focused on global
markets. It featured IBM’s Sandra Johnson, who also
serves as vice president for Life for Africa; Terry
McCoy, who directs the Latin America Business
Environment Program at the University of Florida;
Qubad Talabani, who represents the Kurdistan
Regional Government in the United States; and
Michael Taylor, who manages government affairs at
the U.S. India Business Alliance.
Johnson discussed IBM’s focus on global technology
innovation, including a special emphasis on Africa.
That continent is important, she said, because it
represents a blank slate of economic opportunity;
has a young median age; is multilingual; has great
quantities of natural and human resources; and has a
low base of economic activity that sets the stage
for rapid economic development. Johnson stressed
that, given the opportunity to develop, Africans’
innovation will help improve their overall quality
of life and probably contribute greatly to the
global economy.
McCoy stated that the “news from Latin America
continues to be encouraging and positive,” with
poverty levels down, incomes rising, social welfare
programs that are helping to reduce inequality and
greater access to global markets. However, all is
not perfect. Latin America still faces the problems
of crime and corruption in many countries, he said,
and these must be factored into the cost of doing
business in the region.
Talabani drew some comparisons between Kurdistan and
Central Florida, indicating that both offer a good
quality of life,www.ekurd.net
have no state income tax
and have access to more than one international
airport. He also said that Kurdistan – known often
as the “Iraq that works” – has an educated
workforce; is ready to develop its technology
industries; can act as a bridge to Iraq and the rest
of the Middle East; is building democratic
institutions; and has a huge potential for
agriculture.
Talabani also praised UCF for creating an endowed
chair in Kurdish Political Studies, adding that this
will help bring awareness about the success of the
Kurdish people, despite years of genocide and
oppression by the regime of Saddam Hussein.
Taylor focused on India’s competitive advantages and
disadvantages. Among the advantages he listed were
India’s dynamic economy; a sound and independent
legal system; a large and growing consumer market
with a middle class as large as 350 million people;
and a vast pool of skilled English-speakers. Among
India’s disadvantages Taylor cited were its
underdeveloped infrastructure, which needs to
penetrate the rural areas; bureaucracy; government
over-regulation; and corruption.
Luncheon keynote speaker Jeffrey Birnbaum, a
commentator for The Washington Post, PBS and Fox
News, said the contentious 2000 election was
followed by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. With a
renewed spirit of patriotism, Birnbaum said, Bush
expanded the government by unbelievable measures to
protect democracy. He also waged two wars and
required citizens to re-examine their concept of
what it meant to be American. Shortly thereafter,
Birnbaum said, Enron collapsed, and American
investors required more transparency in U.S.
corporate structure, which led to a decline in
business and investment. This was a seminal period,
according to Birnbaum, that requires critical
examination because it severely tested the American
fabric.
Focusing on the current economic crisis, Birnbaum
stated, “The most important question is how long the
recession will last and if economics will influence
the election as it has in the past.” He said that a
declining economy will likely lead to a Democratic
win, while a stronger economy will result in a
victory for Republicans.
The afternoon panel, moderated by Kenneth Mouradian
of the U.S. Department of Commerce, emphasized
Florida perspectives on trade, finance and the
economy. It featured Manny Mencia, senior vice
president of Enterprise Florida, Inc.; Cynthia
Flores, vice president for Global Trade Solutions at
SunTrust; Cathy Blalock, regional representative for
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and Sean Snaith,
director of UCF’s Institute for Economic
Competitiveness.
Closing keynote speaker Charles S. Shapiro, the
senior coordinator for the Western Hemisphere Free
Trade Agreement Task Force and a former ambassador
to Venezuela, highlighted the importance of trade
with Latin America to the United States and
particularly Florida. He noted that eight of the top
10 destinations for Florida exports are in the
Western Hemisphere. He also stressed the importance
of free-trade agreements, stating that in there are
several pending in Congress, and that it is time for
lawmakers to address the Colombian free-trade
agreement. He also emphasized the need for
democracy, stating that “there is a need for
representative democracies with open economies to
help increase the standard of living.”
In addition to the Global Perspectives Office,
sponsors of the event included C.T. Hsu and
Associates, Inc.; Deshpande, Inc.; Enterprise
Florida, Inc.; the Florida Network for Global
Studies (UCF, University of Florida, University of
South Florida, Florida International University and
Florida A&M University); the Georgetown Club of
Metro Orlando; IBM; LarsonAllen, LLP; the Metro
Orlando Economic Development Commission; the Orlando
Regional Chamber of Commerce; SunTrust; UCF’s
College of Business Administration, Diplomacy
Program; International Services Center; LIFE
program; Middle Eastern Studies Program, Political
Science Department and India Program; Junior
Achievement of Central Florida; and the Global
Connections Foundation.
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
ucf edu
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