We are going to get started. Reason for the early hearing is we have votes and people go back to the district today. I wanted to make sure i got this hearing in. Other members will be walking in as the hearing is progressing. Come to order. Ll we are focusing on the extent to assistance has been effective in strengthening section protecting human rights. Objection, all members may have five days to submit questions and materials for the record. I will now make an Opening Statement and then turn it over to be Ranking Member for his Opening Statement. Before i open with my statement, i want to thank everybody that is here early. It is miserable outside and i want to thank the witnesses for being here. Good morning. Thank you for being here today. In reading the news over the last few weeks, the shocking headlines from mexico have been impossible to escape. Last week i saw kids as young as six are arming themselves to defend their families in a rural part of the United States. As cartels
Just standing there in the street had the right to do that. We of freight around the streets of oil city this is nonsense its a shame. The un authorised protest had been called by the jailed opposition leader. Of mauritius had banned local election candidates from running because they said the candidates in question had not collected a sufficient number of genuine signatures in their support a charge rejected by the Opposition Movement who say the candidates are being unfairly excluded for. All that is being done is an attempt to intimidate and we need to show that they cannot intimidators with these methods the protest also comes at a time of serious questions over president Vladimir Putins popularity discontent and anger over falling incomes under rise of the national pension. Age appeared to have caused a slump in putins Approval Ratings that have been denied by the kremlin. But the opposition sees this latest crackdown as a struggle for its right to challenge what it says is a legi
Officials are getting ready to discuss the upcoming negotiations. Were live at the Wilson Center in washington. The program is expected to start at any moment. Youre crazy and no one is going to come and maybe this is sort of important enough. Maybe our existential questions will bring an audience and we had the idea bringing the mexicos negotiator ken smith to come, and it was a cheeky question, and he said yes, this is extraordinary and ken said last week, i dont think i can do it. So i apologize for misleading you. It was not intentional, but we have got an absolutely fabulous panel for you nonetheless. And let me just run through very quickly from left to right, as i see it, fred burkeson, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for international economics. Thank you for being with us. Its great you agreed to provide a repost to some of the mexican perspectives near. Very welcome. And secondly francis, known to most of you here, currently a partner at white and case and previousl
The undoing project. He has also written the big short and the new new things. Join us for indepth the first sunday of the month at noon eastern on booktv on cspan2. Negotiations are underway with the United States, texaco and canada to modernize the north American Free trade agreement. Earlier this week mexican trade officials were among the group of panelists who discussed how the nafta talks will impact mexico. This Panel Discussion hosted by the Wilson Center in washington dc is two hours. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. If you are looking for a place we are willing to sell these seats at a deflated price, there are scalpers outside, dont use them, just give the money directly to me. Welcome to the Wilson Center. Thank you for being here. When we talked about doing an event in august a voice inside my head said you are crazy. In washington no one will come. Maybe nafta is important enough. Maybe our existential questions will attract an audience. Then we hit on the bright idea
Nafta. Former mexican trade officials talked about the likelihood of an agreement eating reached and how much Bargaining Power mexico has based on its trade deals with other countries. From the wilson center, this is two hours. Mr. Wood good morning. Will you come down and take a seat here. If youre looking for a place, we are willing to sell these place at an inflated price. There are scalpers outside. Do not use them. Just give the money directly to me. Welcome to the wilson center. Thank you for being here. When we talked about the event, a little voice inside my head said you are crazy, its washington, no one will come. They said maybe the nafta is important enough, maybe our existential questions will attract an audience, and then we came up on bright idea of asking mexicos chief negotiator to participate. Ken said yes, and this is going to happen. It is extraordinary. And then ken said, no, i can do it. So i apologize for misleading you. It was not intentional. But we got a panel