Columbia University Launches 12th Annual Reuters Forum

For Immediate Release

Contact: Rod Thorn, 203-438-6595, rthorn@snet.net

Caroline Ladhani, 212-854-6581, CL2059@columbia.edu

January 22, 2002 -- Columbia University announces the 2002 launch of the Reuters Forum, a unique and popular course offered by Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism from January 30 through May 8. The forum is open to the public. During the semester, leading experts on global trade and commerce, anti-terrorism and national security, and the economic gap between rich and poor nations will gather in "open" forums to debate the future of globalization, post-Sept. 11. The general public is encouraged to attend and participate during these sessions, free of charge.

Now in its twelfth year, the Reuters Forum is sponsored by the Reuters Foundation, which was established in 1982 by Reuters, the global news and information organization, to support an international range of educational and humanitarian causes. The Reuters Forum is designed to raise awareness of global economic issues among a sophisticated and diverse audience, including students, teachers, journalists, business professionals and people living in the New York and Tri-state area.

"This year, we are looking at how globalization, the dominant economic force of our time, has been affected by the tragic events of Sept. 11," said Terri Thompson, director of the Reuters Forum at Columbia. "The horrific acts that occurred that day changed the world. Borders have tightened, trade, travel and capital flows have slowed, and civil liberties have been affected in the name of national security. We will explore these issues and many others in depth, and are particularly honored to do so in New York City, which has rebounded so well from the devastation that struck us less than five months ago."

Students from Columbia's Business, International and Public Affairs, Law and Journalism schools can enroll in the Reuters Forum for academic credit and attend lectures preceding each discussion. The best articles that they write as part of their coursework will appear in the next edition of The Reuters Forum Journal, published by Columbia University. The 2001 edition can be seen on the Web site of Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism at www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/reutersjournal

2002 Reuters Forum Topics and Schedule

As in previous years, the Reuters Forum will host an impressive array of panelists and moderators during seven public sessions in 2002. Topics and participants include:

January 30: Jihad vs. McWorld: The Clash Between Fundamentalism and the Secular World

Moderated by Benjamin Barber, University of Maryland; with Raghida Dergham, Al-Hayat; Stephen Jukes, Reuters America; and Ambassador Edward S. Walker, Jr., the Middle East Institute.

February 13: Global Terror and the Global Economy: Is Globalization Derailed?

Moderated by Richard Longworth, Chicago Tribune; with Sarah Anderson, Institute for Policy Studies; Warren Bass, Council on Foreign Relations; and Stephen Roach, Morgan Stanley.

February 27: The Fear Economy: Global Cooperation or Isolationism?

Moderated by Alice Amsden, MIT; with Nivad Awad, Council of American-Islamic Relations; Hon. Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan Ambassador to the United States; and Walter Russell Mead, Council on Foreign Relations.

March 13: Carrots and Sticks: Uses and Misuses of American Aid and Sanctions

Moderated by Peter Morici, University of Maryland and Economic Strategy Institute; with John Birkelund, UBS Warburg; James Fallows, Atlantic Monthly; and Andres S. Natsios, U.S. Agency for International Development (invited).

April 10: Immigration Backlash: Labor Migration in Crisis?

Moderated by Steve Schifferes, BBC Online; with Dr. Ziad Asali, Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee; Randall Hamud, Civil Rights Advocate; Doris Meissner, Carnegie Endowment for Peace; and David Schlesinger, Reuters America.

April 24: Guns & Money: Tracking Underground Funds in a Borderless Economy

Moderated by Michael Mandel, Business Week; with Walt Bogdanich, The New York Times; John Moscow, Assistant District Attorney, New York; and John Moynihan, BERG Associates.

May 8: Big Brother Meets Big Business: The Future of Civil Liberties in an Unsafe World

Moderated by Robert Kuttner, The American Prospect; with Jerry Berman, Center for Democracy and Technology; Ira Jackson, Harvard University; Eugene Poteat, Association of Former Intelligence Officers; and Geoffrey Wharton, Silverstein Properties.

The Reuters Forum is held from 6 - 7:30 p.m. at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism, Broadway and 116th Street. To register, attendees can call (212) 854-6840 or register online at www.jrn.columbia.edu/reuters

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