Program

The Georgetown Global Forum on Competitiveness takes place on March 7, 2008, at the Casino de Madrid during the morning and at the Westin Palace Hotel in the afternoon.

Location: Casino de Madrid

9:30 - 11:15: Georgetown University Welcome by John J. DeGioia and Address by Former President of the Government of Spain José María Aznar

Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia officially opens the Georgetown Global Forum on Competitiveness - Madrid 2008. He also presents the former president of the Government of Spain José María Aznar, who addresses issues relating to globalization and competitiveness.

11:30 – 13:00: International Relations Panel: Interest Rates and National Interests – The Impact of Economic and Political Issues on European/U.S. Relations

Hosted by Robert Gallucci, dean of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, the panel addresses major economic, political, and security issues likely to shape relations between Europe and the United States in the coming year. Panelists also discuss the elections in Spain and the United States and their potential impact on domestic politics and alliance relations.

Location: Westin Palace Hotel

13:30 – 15:00: Lunch and Keynote Address by former National Security Advisor Anthony Lake: International Security, Risks and Opportunities

Anthony Lake, U.S. National Security Advisor from 1993 to 1997 and Georgetown’s Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy, assesses global competitiveness and its impact on how the world responds to major challenges.

15:15 - 16:45: Global Finance Panel: Exotic or Essential? Hedge Funds, Private Equity and Alternative Assets in a Global Economy

Hosted by George G. Daly, dean of Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, this panel discusses how the growth of Alternative Assets, Private Equity and Hedge Funds has an impact on the financial strategies of corporations and the competitiveness of international capital markets.

International Law Panel: Globalization and the Legal Academy: Global Clients, Global Law Firms & Global Law Schools

This panel of experts and senior leaders, moderated by T. Alexander Aleinikoff, Executive Vice President for Law Center Affairs and Dean, Georgetown Law, discusses the impact of globalization on the legal profession, on the challenges to the relationships between global clients and law firms, and the anticipated impact on law schools preparing the next generation of international problem solvers. Panelists discuss the different business models that global law firms are using to serve their multinational clients in established and emerging markets, and share their perspectives about the evolving nature of transnational law.

17:00 – 18:30: Interreligious & Intercultural Understanding Panel: Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and West-Islamic Relations

Hosted by Tom Banchoff, director of the Berkley Center for Peace, Religion and World Affairs at Georgetown University, this panel focuses on Western-Islamic Relations and the impact of interreligious and intercultural issues on national competitiveness and foreign policy.

Global Health Panel: The Future of Global Cancer Treatment and Prevention

Hosted by Howard Federoff, executive vice president of Georgetown University Medical Center, this panel brings together experts who are shaping how cancer treatment will look tomorrow and how these treatments can be deployed to help those in the developing world. Systems medicine, a new approach to treatment, builds on increased knowledge about the interaction between genetic and environmental factors This panel addresses the broad implications of systems medicine for individual patients and the potential for improving public health of entire populations via early prediction and prevention.