The first joint review has opened a new and consequential chapter for USMCA. The agreement remains in force—but negotiations over its future are far from over. Join the Inter-American Dialogue’s Mexico Program in collaboration with Grupo Estrategia Política (GEP), for a timely conversation featuring Juan Carlos Baker, former Undersecretary for Foreign Trade of Mexico and a principal USMCA negotiator, alongside additional guest speakers. Following the third U.S.–Mexico negotiating round in Mexico City, the speakers will offer an opportune assessment of the latest developments and what they mean for USMCA’s future.
The discussion will examine the priorities driving the three governments and the decisions that could reshape North American trade, investment, and competitiveness. It will also build on three reports produced by the Mexico Program in collaboration with Grupo Estrategia Política (GEP), focused on Labor, Digital Trade and AI, and Energy commitments under USMCA. Each report was co-authored by one U.S. and one Mexican expert, bringing both perspectives into a shared policy conversation. The reports analyze the main challenges and tensions in each agenda and offer policy recommendations to help orient future conversations among key stakeholders in the U.S.–Mexico relationship, including government officials, private-sector leaders, and policy experts. The reports’ principal findings were first presented in Mexico City this past May 15. Now, the conversation comes to Washington, DC, bringing the discussion to the heart of U.S. policymaking for a deeper, high-stakes look at what’s next for North American trade.
Join the Mexico Program on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 from 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM ET for a forward-looking conversation on the forces shaping North America’s next chapter in trade.
OPENING REMARKS
LILA ABED
Program Director, Mexico, Inter-American Dialogue (@lilaabed)
GUSTAVO ALMARAZ PETRIE
Executive President, Grupo Estrategia Política—GEP (@gustavoalmarazp)
MODERATOR
MARICARMEN BARRON ESPER
Senior Research Analyst, Global Economy and Development Program, Brookings Institution
SPEAKERS
JUAN CARLOS BAKER
Principal Chief Executive Officer, Consultores Internacionales Ansley (@JCBakerMX)
DUNCAN WOOD
Advisory Council Member, Mexico Program, Inter-American Dialogue & Visiting Fellow for North America, Wilson Center (@AztecDuncan)
BETH BURKE
CEO, Canadian American Business Council (@beth_a_burke)
ALEX PERKINS
Principal, Mehlman Consulting
