Negotiations for the largest trade deal in US history is and has been underway. Little is known in the way of details, but it would add regulations (and remove barriers as well) to trade conducted between the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Peru and Vietnam among others. Barack Obama is the most notable proponent of the deal and is currently in conflict with the populist wing of the Democratic Party. The Republicans have been silent, but have been pro-trade in the past and will likely support it. Many progressives like Senator Warren are calling for the details to be released to the public.
Until the details are known, I have little to say about the deal itself. NAFTA was a disaster for workers but was not without benefit due to access to cheap labor from Mexico. Trade deals have not been kind to the majority of the US (with the exception of multinational corporations and organizations directly linked to trade), though the President claims this one is far more progressive than previous ones. Speculation means nothing right now though.
What I find much more interesting is the desire for the information to be released for all to see. Standard procedure is to keep details secret until the deal's been negotiated. This has always been the way things have been done. The parties involved don't need constant controversy over the negotiations. When they concede something they don't like to be seen as weak. To bring world leaders to the table, some degree of confidentiality must be given. Even without the political considerations, it would still be preferable to keep the information classified until it's concluded. People in large numbers lose their critical thinking skills and become reactionary and uninformed. Negotiations usually consist of giving something up in return for something else. When the masses see something negative like a lack of quality standards, (which would allow potentially harmful products to reach US consumers) they would immediately condemn the treaty, even though we'd be getting something like a guarantee of intellectual property rights in return.
Article: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/04/26/elizabeth-warren-calls-on-obama-to-declassify-trade-deal-details/
The inter party conflict causes me to slightly raise an eyebrow. I am unaware of the past stances of the populist wing but that could shed some light potentially as to where this deal could be heading or how it is shaping.
ReplyDeleteand look at what we expected economically from south korea after opening trade...not as much as we expected.
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