The DN Presents: How far can he go?
Our speaker analyzes what could derail Trump’s audacious agenda
At this Delphi Network breakfast (logistics details below) Arthur Mitchell, Senior Counselor at White & Case Tokyo, will weave together what he and his US-based colleagues have analyzed about Donald Trump’s agenda.
The timing is fortuitous, given how disruptive Trump has been in the first fortnight of his presidency – the intensity of the rhetoric, the flurry of executive orders, the killing of TPP (admittedly already on its sick bed), the travel ban on certain muslim nationals, the announcement to tax imports, the go-ahead to build the wall against Mexico…the drama of the campaign season has in no way let up.
Yet Arthur believes, despite pessimism and anger, that the US is much further from a reactionary counter-revolution than might appear. America’s governance structure is deliberately atomized. Inter-departmental in-fighting and jockeying for resources amplifies the constitutional checks and balances designed by the Founders of 1776. And while the Republicans dominate all three branches of federal government, as well as the governorship of most states, it pays to remember that Trump is not a “normal” Republican.
Arthur will carefully analyze international trade (especially NAFTA, WTO and TPP), the trillion dollar stimulus plan, the outlook for Wall Street and energy issues in order to get a concrete sense of Trump’s freedom of maneuver. Indeed, although the US president is powerful in some areas such as foreign policy (and some uniquely sensitive ones, such as control of the nuclear codes), it is likely that sooner rather than later Trump and his team will fly into a storm of opposition – from the media, Congress, the judiciary, the intelligence apparatus, and the public.
The unique value of this event is that it is not being held by an academic, journalist or political scientist. The speaker and his team are steeped in the gritty details of policy and law, and the way power is exercised in Washington. Through his firm’s exposure to Washington DC, Arthur can provide an authentic view on what to expect from America’s 45th president.
Speaker: Arthur Mitchell, Senior Counselor, White & Case Tokyo
Arthur M. Mitchell has over forty years of experience, much of it in Asia, specializing in investment and financing transactions in the region. Prior to joining White & Case, Arthur was General Counsel of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) where he supervised all aspects of legal advice given with respect to public sector and private sector loan transactions, equity investments, political risk guarantees and bond financings at ADB. Since returning to Japan, Arthur has been involved in numerous private equity investments, as well as cutting-edge transnational financial transactions. His practice now focuses on infrastructure finance and clean energy projects. Arthur was elected to the Board of Directors of the Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. in 2015 and is a Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan.
Moderator: Dan Slater, Director, Delphi Network
Date: February 23rd 2017
Time: 08:00 – 9:30am
Place: Private room, La Belle Époque, the Okura Hotel
Price: Y7,000 Delphi Network members; Y10,000 for non-members
