The North American Center for Transborder Studies (NACTS) at Arizona State University, the Center for Dialogue and Analysis on North America at Tec de Monterrey, Mexico City Campus and the Mexico and Canada Institutes at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars will convene “Cross Talk II: Building Common Security in North America” in Washington, D.C on February 10 and 11. The objective of the event is to engage public and private sector officials and key policy networks in Canada, the United States and Mexico to discuss and develop policy options and recommendations toward building more sustainable security in North America. Cross Talk II perpetuates the multiple conversations begun at XT-I but provides a unique opportunity, early in the new Presidency, Administration and DHS Secretariat, to view security from a North American and a border perspective. Too long Washington insiders have imposed policies on borderlands without understanding and appreciating the local impacts and implications and unintended consequences. Cross Talk II will more closely examine building common security across borders. The discussions at Cross Talk II will result in yet a more security-focused iteration of the memo to the new administration. Senior-level representatives from DHS, State, Interior, Commerce, and their Mexican and Canadian counterparts will attend, speak and participate. Cross Talks are also designed to attract participants from all three nations, for all sectors of civil society and from the spectrum of political parties.
The event also forms part of the North American Dialogue, an initiative launched by the Center for Dialogue and Analysis on North America (CEDAN) at Tec de Monterrey, Mexico City Campus. The initiative is a series of closed and public forums on issues of competitiveness, environmental challenges, and human capital. In addition, Cross Talk II is enriched by the expertise of the Canada and Mexico Institutes at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Both organizations convene undertake a number of important activities, including high-level meetings and working groups that engage key policy networks on matters affecting the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico relationships.
