Brookings Mountain West and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) will host a discussion on critical election topics as part of The Brookings Institution’s Election ’24: Issues at Stake series. The event, titled “US-Mexico Relations: Addressing Challenges at the Border,” is scheduled for August 27 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the first-floor auditorium inside UNLV's Greenspun Hall. The event is free and open to the public, with an RSVP requested.
Brookings Mountain West is the UNLV-based branch of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.
Election ’24: Issues at Stake aims to bring national attention to significant policy issues confronting voters and policymakers this election cycle. The August 27 event focuses on national security and America’s role in the world, one of six themes explored in this initiative.
In October 2024, Mexico’s president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum will begin her six-year term while the U.S. presidential campaign enters its final stretch. Key questions include how the next U.S. administration and Congress will manage relations with new leadership in Mexico, what tools both countries can use to advance positive outcomes, and what opportunities and challenges lie ahead for both nations.
Vanda Felbab-Brown, senior fellow in foreign policy at the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology at Brookings, along with UNLV faculty members, will address these questions.
"The U.S.-Mexico relationship is one of the most important international relationships for each country, yet despite very many issues at stake, the relationship has been unproductively skewed toward predominantly dealing with migration,” said Felbab-Brown. “Whether the relationship starts more intensively and honestly grappling with the other issues at stake will be a hallmark of the new government administrations in the United States and in Mexico."
Felbab-Brown will be joined by Michael Kagan, professor at William S. Boyd School of Law and director of the UNLV Immigration Clinic; John Tuman, executive associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and professor of political science; and Rachel Torres, assistant professor of political science.
The event will feature discussions on border security, immigration policies, trade and energy relations, counter-narcotics efforts, and anti-crime cooperation.
Amber Dixon from Nevada Week will moderate the discussion with all four panelists.
Attendees are encouraged to submit their questions for experts via email to events@brookings.edu or via X to @BrookingsFP using #USMexico.
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