Obama Trade Advisor, IR/PS Dean Peter Cowhey
Takes Short Leave in San Diego for Graduation, Book Talk

Barry Jagoda | June 15, 2009

IR/PS Dean Peter Cowhey spoke of his new book on global information and communications markets during a visit from Washington where is on-leave serving in the Obama administration.

School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS) Dean Peter Cowhey took several days away from his Washington assignment for the Obama Administration to participate in IR/PS graduation ceremonies and to present an academic talk based on his recently published MIT Press book on the global information and communications market.  He also shared some insight into the work in which he has been engrossed as Senior Counselor to the U.S. Trade Representative.

Speaking Thursday afternoon at the IR/PS campus, Cowhey was joined by co-author, Jonathan Aronson, professor of communications at the University of Southern California, for remarks that addressed four main themes of the book, “Transforming Global Information and Communications Markets.”

First, Cowhey pointed out the huge size of the global telecommunications market said to be about 6 per cent annually of the world’s total output, a total still driven by the United States, but this leadership is at risk over the coming decades.  As Cowhey put it, “the challenge is to induce change that benefits the United States, but other countries as well.”

In a second major point, Cowhey said that in thinking about regulatory policy, the term “modularity,” is crucial for whther communications technology can be designed as a series of building blocks this will increase competition.  This process of integration benefited the United States but is rapidly being adopted by other countries.

The third theme was expressed as an underscoring of what was termed “cheap revolution,” where the information and communications and related products are increasingly less expensive and more widely applicable.  Cowhey cited an example of air pollution monitoring information technology that is in operation in the Los Angeles air basin, which consists of about 25 monitoring stations, each about a closet in size and costing about about $250,000 per station. With innovative digital products, each station will be about the size of a dime, cost about $25 each, and allow thousands of monitoring locations. This will greatly improve the scientific basis for cost effective air pollution management, a major public health and economic challenge.

Fourth, the authors emphasized a strong point-of-view about a series of domestic issues, including cybersecurity, control of personal information, cultural concerns and competition policy.  They argued that a successful domestic policy for the U.S. required coordination of policies among the world’s major markets. 

After the talk, Cowhey and Aronson signed books for many members of the audience.

The lecture provided an opportunity for Cowhey to meet with students and members of the faculty prior to Graduation Weekend.  Though he has been in Washington since February, many of the IR/PS students had first come to the school under the Cowhey deanship and would receive diplomas at the ceremonies with his assistance.

The IR/PS graduation ceremony was held Sunday.

Meantime, some members of the university community had assumed that Cowhey’s work in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative would focus on his special expertise in international telecommunications, but as it turns out, his role is more involved with overall strategic planning as the administration develops its general trade policy. Asked if he was focusing on one or another substantive area Cowhey replied, “Our priorities are across the board and USTR operates on a complete team basis.  I was brought in to help focus on the whole array of issues in building a trade policy that would advance the president’s economic agenda for the country.”

“We have a strategic planning process that has already generated reevaluations and changes in approach on a number of inherited negotiations from the Bush Administration and we are generating a series of new trade initiatives,” Cowhey added, and said "President Obama will be announcing an overall trade policy framework in the months to come."

Cowhey concluded, “We don’t have the luxury of a lot of time in developing the policy.  Trade accounts for about 30% of the American economy.  You cannot put trade policy “on hold” for an extended time.  It is very concentrated work, but I am enjoying it very much.”