Trade Agreements Blog

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Although I’m rushed for time today, there’s an interesting editorial in the LA Times called “Obama and free trade: What’s the deal?” written by, well, it doesn’t really say.

But the author makes the point that it’s quite hard to tell what President Obama’s policy is on free trade. Sometimes he says he wants to renegotiate NAFTA, sometimes he says he wants to protect American workers, and sometimes it’s both.

According to the author,

President Obama is in favor of free trade. Except when he isn’t. Free trade creates jobs and lowers prices, as he freely acknowledges. But he also insists that American workers must be shielded from foreign labor practices that threaten job security. During the presidential campaign, Obama indicated that he was open to renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, even as an advisor quietly reassured Canadian officials that he wouldn’t tamper with free trade on the North American continent.

IMHO the author makes some good points but it’s still too soon to shake a finger at Obama by saying “But Bush’s overall record was one of trade expansion; Obama’s record, to date, is incoherent.” The economic landscape has done a 180 since the election so naturally policies have to change along with it.

But I too am eagerly looking forward to the G20 summit as it’s an opportunity to make progress towards future international cooperation.