The Maastricht Graduate School of Governance presents: 

The 2008 US Presidential Election Campaign and Beyond
 
….’who is best for Europe: Obama or McCain?’

Time: 18.00 hrs
Location: Maastricht, Collegezaal, Tongersestraat 53

For the first time in history, both American presidential candidates have actively campaigned on foreign soil.  And Europeans have been following the American election with unprecedented fervor, with hundreds of thousands turning out to hear Barack Obama, while European politicians meet with McCain on his own tour of Europe.  This is the year the American presidential contest truly goes global.
 
In recognition of this, on 7 October 2008 two prominent foreign policy advisors to the current United States presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain will debate which candidate will be best for Europe, Ivo Daalder (Obama) and Tod Lindberg (McCain) will appear at the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, (Maastricht University), to discuss how Europe will be affected by the outcome of the American election.
 
The stakes for Europe in this presidential election are quite high.  In the difficult counter insurgency war in Afghanistan, NATO struggles to hold its alliance together as casualties mount.  The war in Iraq, which ignited fierce European opposition, continues to tie down NATO’s largest member, limiting how much America can do in Afghanistan.  Anger at the Bush administration in Europe also centers around tales of torture, secret prisons, and the kidnapping and detention of European citizens and residents in violation of European and international laws.  The Doha round of talks on trade, in which the European Union and the US must cooperate in order to achieve their mutual goals, has been a source of tension over agricultural subsidies and other topics.  Meanwhile, the powers of Europe wait to see whether a new president will be willing to work together on climate change and other environmental issues.  For many citizens of Europe, the American presidential election is second in importance only to their own country’s elections.  Daalder and Lindberg will be asked what victory by their side will mean for these and many other issues.

Ivo Daalder, born in the Netherlands, now Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy studies of The Brookings Institution and former director for European Affairs on the National Security Council, directly advises Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on foreign policy. Tod Lindberg born in New York is a Research Fellow in the Hoover Institution and advises the McCain campaign on foreign policy. A prominent European political representative will also participate in the Debate. Charles Clarke born in London is the former UK Home Secretary and known for his considerable political savvy; he became renowned for his advocacy of landmark proposals for countering terrorism.
 
For more information please contact Mr. Huw Jones: huw.jones@governance.unimaas.nl

Note: Deadline for registration 21st September 2008

MGSoG Movie Series

3 October: Alumni Day

7 October: The 2008 US Presidential Election Campaign and Beyond

14 & 15 October: The Aid Effectiveness Puzzle: Completing the Picture?

5 November: USA Election Breakfast
 

Student for a Day

11 and 12 September
Accra, Ghana:
Aggregate Shocks and How Parents Protect the Human Capital Accumulation Process: An Empirical Study of Indonesia " 
PEGNet Conference Ms. Treena Wu

Master Meeting Maastricht University: Saturday 25 October

MGSoG in the press...
Melissa Siegel (PhD Fellow ESPP)

MGSoG E-Gazette May 2008

E-Learning at the MGSoG