Events

Webcast

The presentation will examine the radically changing nature of borders, the forces driving such change, and the impact on traditional legal and regulatory regimes governing cross-border trade and travel. Former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin will argue that borders in the contemporary era must be viewed as incorporating the global flow of goods and people as well as the geographic boundary lines that mark the transition from one sovereignty to another. Borders from this perspective are both lines of sovereignty and points of flow. The influence of this altered paradigm on our understanding of the relationship between security and economic competitiveness is fundamental. The presentation will explore the dramatic implications this has had for American policies and practices of border enforcement and management and our perspective on the transnational landscape. Recent issues at the US/Mexico Border regarding migration from Central America will serve to illustrate the propositions advanced.