World Affairs Council Reception and Event: “The Future of the Transatlantic Relationship”

The team kicked off the trip with a reception and panel discussion co-hosted by the Dallas World Affairs Council. We welcomed locals for a lively discussion on hot button issues in the U.S. and Europe, including Brexit, strategic competition with China, and developments in Syria.

UT Dallas Student Roundtable: “Next Generation Foreign Policy Perspectives”

The team started the next day with a roundtable discussion with students at the University of Texas at Dallas. The conversation focused on how the next generation prioritizes challenges to U.S. national security. Although the students were clear-eyed about the China challenge, they identified climate change and technological change, including cyber and hybrid warfare, as the most urgent threats facing the United States in the next decade.

Dallas Regional Chamber Luncheon Roundtable: “The Future of Transatlantic Trade: Views form the Dallas Region”

Then, the team met with Dallas business leaders for a luncheon co-hosted by the Dallas Regional Chamber. The group discussed transatlantic trade and transatlantic business ties in the Dallas region, especially how the trade war is affecting Texans. The group heard about how the Dallas region has benefited from U.S. trade agreements and how uncertainty in U.S. trade policy, particularly with respect to China, has impacted businesses in the Dallas region.

Dallas Morning News Editorial Board Meeting

The group then met with members of the Dallas Morning News Editorial Board to discuss larger trends and attitudes in Dallas. The conversation centered on Texas electoral politics, migration, and how values drive Texans’ foreign policy views.

Meeting with Michael Mendoza (Chief of Economic Development, Dallas Economic Development Office)

Next, the group headed to City Hall to meet Michael Mendoza, Chief of Economic Development at the Dallas Economic Development Office, to discuss his work to make Dallas a city of opportunity through urban planning, economic development, and neighborhood revitalization.

Roundtable Discussion with Dallas Community Leaders

The day concluded with a roundtable discussion with Dallas community leaders to discuss how the transatlantic relationship and the U.S.’s role in the world is perceived in Dallas. The conversation also covered more broadly how Dallas communities solve problems and lessons to be shared across the Atlantic.

Panel Discussion at El Centro College: “The Future of the Transatlantic Relationship”

At our last stop, the team headed to El Centro College, a community college in downtown Dallas, to discuss the future of the transatlantic relationship. We welcomed students for a discussion on key dimensions of the transatlantic relationship, including Brexit, the Iran Nuclear Deal, relations with China, and climate change.

Meet The Panel

Kirsti Kauppi
Ambassador of Finland to the United States

Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi became Ambassador of Finland to the United States in September 2015. Before that (2012-2015) she was Director General for Political Affairs at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Helsinki.

Read her full bio here

Domingos Fezas Vital
Ambassador of Portugal to the United States

Ambassador Domingos Fezas Vital is a career member of Portugal’s Foreign Service and was named in 2015 as the Portuguese Ambassador to the United States.

Read his full bio here

Dr. Andrea Kendall-Taylor
Senior Fellow and Director, Transatlantic Security Program, Center for a New American Security

Andrea Kendall-Taylor is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.

Read her full bio here