ESU Hosts Kurt Wimer International Lecture Series

Posted by: admin on November 10, 2015, No Comments

Kurt Wimer Lecture SeriesThe world’s two largest trade and investments agreements will dramatically alter cross border interactions and affect every citizen in Central and North America, Europe and Asia.

Professors at East Stroudsburg University want to tell the general public exactly how they will be affected. On November 18 at 7 p.m. in Beers Lecture Hall, a panel presentation will be held on the Transpacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership as part of ESU’s Kurt Wimer International Lecture Series.

“These are groundbreaking agreements,” Leif Johan Eliasson, Ph.D., professor of political science, said. “They are unprecedented in scope and depth, as they are larger in size, affecting more people, and address issues and areas not previously covered in multilateral trade agreements; these two agreements will transform global trade and investments in goods and services.”

Dr. Eliasson, Christopher Brooks, Dr. phil., associate professor of history, and Ko Mishima, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, will explain the impact of the trade agreement at the event. Questions from the audience will be entertained.

“Every American who eats, shops, dresses, drives, and takes any medication will be affected,” Dr. Eliasson said. “Prices on imported goods are coming down, new foreign markets are open to U.S. companies (creating jobs here in the U.S.), competition is increasing, regulations on investments are changing, and high standards pertaining to areas such as labor and the environment are sustained.”

The Kurt Wimer International Lecture Series is named in honor of the former chair of ESU’s social science department, which eventually was divided into the political science, history and sociology departments.  The series consists of semi-annual lectures by invited practitioners and experts on topics related to foreign and international affairs. For more information about the panel discussion or the lecture series, contact Dr. Eliasson at 570-422-3250, or jeliasson@esu.edu.