Arizona Leaders Call For More International Engagement At Global Leadership Forum
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What is Arizona’s place in the world and what’s at stake for the state as global markets expand?
Some of the state’s heaviest hitters gathered this week to urge Arizonans to take a more worldly approach in order to avoid being left behind in the future. The Washington-based U.S. Global Leadership Coalition brought the discussion to Phoenix’s Biltmore Hotel. Senator Jeff Flake spent part of his childhood in Africa and has returned to the continent on numerous occasions. He says what happens on the other side of the globe should matter to Arizonans.
“That’s why I appreciate the mission of USGLC. - to support the elevation of diplomacy and development alongside defense in order to bring stability to the world.” Flake said at the event. “Development is crucial to African countries, but also important to Arizona because it leads to economic growth.”
Whether it’s developing nations in Africa or elsewhere around the globe, Flake said Arizonans have a vested interest in what happens thousands of miles away. In 2014, nearly 8,000 Arizona companies exported more than $21 billion in goods and services to foreign markets. Attendees at the forum said those numbers need to increase for the state to remain viable as a world player.
Kyle Moyer runs a government relations firm and said the state has some catching up to do.
“I think many Arizonans view international issues as removed from their everyday lives. (We need) greater education, more information about issues of international importance to our state, the recognition that Mexico is our largest trading partner,” Moyer said. The state’s international image presents a significant challenge, he added.
“For some, Arizona is considered a difficult place to do business, that we’ve enacted policies over the course of the past decade that prove to be barriers to trade and prosperity within our borders. And that’s really not the case."
But he said perceptions are beginning to change, thanks to practical politics and politicians.
“Unfortunately, we have challenges to our brand and often times that transparency is challenged,” Moyer said.
“It’s really remarkable to see politicians like Senator Flake and Senator McCain with the courage to stand up for really what’s in the best interest of our state and not necessarily pander to the base of their own party."
Brett Hunt of Arizona State’s Public Service Academy cites Governor Doug Ducey’s frequent trade missions to Mexico aimed at bolstering relations with the state’s No.1 trading partner.
“Growth going forward is going to be predicated on opening international markets and having access to international markets, what with our proximity to Mexico, that just makes too much sense," Hunt said. Arizona’s largest companies also play an important role, he added.
“Good Arizona companies like Intel, like Freeport MacMoRan, have expanded markets for their products. That benefits us directly here in Arizona through jobs and giving a place for folks graduating from our universities to stay here in Arizona and continue to contribute the economy.”
Melissa Sanderson is vice president of international affairs for one of those companies, Phoenix-based mining and oil giant, Freeport MacMoRan.
“Engagement with the world is fundamental for Arizona. We need to confront that as an opportunity and not fear it as a challenge,” Sanderson said.
Freeport MacMoRan has 8,500 employees in Arizona and with commodity prices on the decline in recent months, the company is facing cutbacks.It recently announced it intends to lay off 10 percent of its mining employees and contractors and is said to be considering shuttering one of its five Arizona-based mines.
Sanderson said as the world outlook improves, so will theirs.
“As a publically traded company, we are the primary producer in the world of copper and gold; we’re also the leading producer of molybdenum, And all of these elements are so fundamental to modern societies globally, that’s there’s every reason for our confidence.
So say attendees to the USGLC in Phoenix, in order for the state to complete globally, what happens in Arizona can no longer stay in Arizona.
