Events

On January 12 - 15, 2008, the BPRI will co-host the BRIT IX Conference with the University of Victoria. The conference theme is "North American and European Border Regions in Comparative Perspective: Markets, States, and Border Communities." The conference seeks to bring together international scholars who have been researching borderlands and border security issues, offering a unique occasion for those scholars to discuss the current implications of new security measures on borders, border regions, borderland culture, economic transactions, transportation systems, and the border regimes of both the EU and the NAFTA nations.

Click here to download the Call for Papers.

On March 7, 2007, the BPRI will host a lecture by Anne Goodchild, Ph.D., titled “The Cost and Consequences of Border Crossing Time Variability on Pacific Northwest Supply Chains.” The lecture will occur in Room 410, Environmental Sciences Building, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Goodchild is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington, and her research focuses upon operations management within the freight industry.

Click here to view the event announcement.

If attending the lecture from off campus, please contact Chuck Hart at (360)650-3728 to receive a parking pass and directions to the event.

On February 15, 2007, the BPRI hosted a conference titled “Fostering Mobility at the BC/WA Border: Perimeter Clearance, WHTI, and Real ID.” The conference benefitted stakeholders involved in a formal effort by the governments of B.C. and Washington State to promote the use of driving licenses as an acceptable form of ID for the purpose of crossing the border.

Click here to view an agenda of the event.

On October 26, 2006, the BPRI hosted a lecture by Margaret Stock, J.D., titled “The Role of Immigration Policy in the Pursuit of National Security.” Stock is an associate professor of law at West Point, a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, and a nationally prominent immigration attorney. She has recently focused upon the relationship between national security and immigration policy, producing scholarly articles and testifying at congressional hearings. Stock argues that America must adopt a more expansive view of what constitutes national security, and that immigrants are a crucial asset within that wider view.

Click here to view the event announcement.

On March 24, 2006, a Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Roundtable was held at Western Washington University. A group of invited panelists from Washington State and Canada participated in a roundtable discussion with Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Rick Larsen regarding the impacts to people and businesses in this region that might result from implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Jim Williams, Director of US-VISIT, Department of Homeland Security and Frank Moss, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Passport Services, Department of State attended the event to hear the concerns particular to the region

Click here to view an agenda of the event and the biographies of the panelists.

Click here to view a summary of the written comments submitted by the audience.

Click here to view a webcast of the event (1.5 hours). (Apple QuickTime is required to view the webcast. Download a free copy here.)

On Friday, October 21, 2005, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Conference was held at Western Washington University. The conference assembled leaders from government, business, academe and NGOs to examine the implications of WHTI and to recommend options for ‘Alternative Secure Documentation’ to prove citizenship that meet the necessary security safeguards of both Canada and the United States.

Click here to view the Agenda from this event.

Click here to view a listing of the conference attendees.

Click here to view the conference proceedings.

Click here to view the presentation (PowerPoint) by Solomon Wong of InterVistas Consulting.

Click here to view the presentation (PowerPoint) by Bruce Agnew of the Discovery Institute.

On April 26, 2005 , an inaugural symposium, The Effect of Border Security on Canadian-United States Integration: Toward a Border Policy Research Agenda, was held at Western Washington University. The Symposium speakers identified a range of research questions and topics to help guide the work of the Institute as well as other organizations focused on border research.

Click here to view streaming video from this event

Click here to view the summary procceedings from the symposium.