The Alaska World Affairs Council
Presents

2009 Conference
The Global Economy: A World of Change, A World of Challenge

February 18 - 21, 2009
The Mayflower Hotel, Washington, DC

http://www.worldaffairscouncils.org/natconference

While distant nations have traded with each other for centuries, the global marketplace has never been more complex and interconnected as it is in the first decade of the 21st century. Although the expansion of the world’s trade and finance infrastructure has brought about many benefits for a number of nations and their citizens, great challenges loom large. Skyrocketing oil prices and questions about future energy supplies, the availability and cost of basic food commodities, and the possible economic effects of climate change upon everything from agriculture to transport are just a few of the difficult issues world leaders will confront during the next 25 years and beyond.

The 2009 World Affairs Councils of America conference “The Global Economy: A World of Change, A World of Challenge,” will feature internationally renowned finance and economics leaders who will discuss serious problems that must be addressed and propose possible solutions for some of the important matters that are facing governments worldwide as they seek to remain vital participants in the global marketplace.

Confirmed Speakers
Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid al Qasimi
Minister of Foreign Trade, United Arab Emirates

Jagdish Bhagwati
University Professor, Economics and Law, at Columbia University
Senior Fellow in International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations

Lewis Kaden
Vice Chairman, CitiGroup

Carla Anderson Hills
Co-Chair of the Council on Foreign Relations
Former U.S. Trade Representative and former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Christopher Cane
Vice President, Government Programs, IBM Corp.

Alan Murray
Executive Editor, Wall Street Journal Online

Steve LeVine
BusinessWeek

Zanny Minton Beddoes
The Economist