Going by our past record on trade deals, I'd say the TPP doesn't look like a good idea.  I'm always wondering why we don't press harder for 'fair' trade instead of 'free' trade.

Isn't free trade, by definition, 'fair' trade ?

It is my understanding they are separate things.  The term 'fair' trade means to me the agreement is equitable and advantageous to both sides, while 'free' trade may only reflect the corporate interests of one side.
 

I'm thinking that the TPP has a chance of reducing poverty, and for becoming a framework for greater cooperation in dealing with a host of issues from security to environmental policy.
But, I'm a globalist.

Last edited by Goose (8/29/2016 11:04 am)

Well, not to get too far off into the weeds, but NAFTA's impact is rather nuanced.

NAFTA at 20: Has it been a success?
By Samuel Benka  // Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a free trade agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico that has created a $19 trillion market with 460 million consumers. It isn’t merely the size of NAFTA that makes it remarkable but also the fact that it was the first U.S. trade agreement that included both developed and developing countries.

Since NAFTA was first proposed and negotiated in the early 90s, there has been an ongoing debate of whether or not the agreement is beneficial to the U.S. and our trade partners. Opponents argued that American jobs would be lost as companies relocated to Mexico while proponents stressed increased U.S. exports as a source for job creation. So what impact has NAFTA had on the North American economies?

Wilson Center Scholars David Biette, Christopher Wilson, and William Krist offered their views in an interview covering the Canadian, Mexican and U.S. perspectives. Following are some of the points they made.

NAFTA has led to a 400 percent increase in trade between its member states. As with any trade agreement, a deeper analysis of NAFTA reveals who the winners and losers are, as well as what can be improved upon as we move forward.

Canada has perhaps gained the most of the three countries. On a GDP related score, Canada has outperformed both the U.S. and Mexico, but many uncompetitive Canadian businesses have been forced to close. The opening up of the American market has been of biggest importance to Canada, whose trade with the U.S. almost tripled since the early 90s. Trade between Canada and Mexico only increased marginally, partly because Canada already had an FTA with Mexico prior to NAFTA.

Overall, Mexico’s economy has also benefitted from joining NAFTA. Trade with the U.S. has seen an increase of five hundred percent. As many critics warned in the 90s, NAFTA did push out many small farmers in Mexico who were not able to compete with subsidized American farmers. On the other hand, many Mexican businesses have become world-class companies, such as Semex, an electronics corporation that manufactures plasma TVs, and Grupo Bimbo, the largest baking company in the world.

For the United States, NAFTA has been a modest success. There was no “giant sucking sound” of jobs moving to Mexico as some opponents had predicted. In fact, NAFTA probably played a positive role in keeping manufacturing jobs in North America, as many of these jobs would have been relocated to China after that country joined the WTO in 2001. The extent to which the auto industry has been integrated in North America is perhaps the biggest positive surprise in this regard.

Another benefit of NAFTA is that it cemented strong relationships among the three countries, which has important foreign policy implications.

In terms of environmental protection NAFTA had some plusses. It was our first trade agreement to include an environmental assessment, as well as a side agreement on the environment.

One area that has been a problem, however, is NAFTA’s investor-state dispute settlement mechanism. This mechanism, which allows corporations to pursue international binding arbitration when they don’t approve of a country’s regulations, has been part of every U.S. free trade agreement since NAFTA. Unfortunately, the mechanism has been abused by a few corporations who have sued governments for implementing legitimate policies, and needs to be reformed so that it can serve its original intent better.

http://americastradepolicy.com/nafta-at-20-has-it-been-a-success/#.V8Rlxj4rKCg

What impact do these trade agreements have on import-export tariffs?