The Foreign Service Journal, December 2015

14 DECEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL unreported and unregulated fishing rep- resent an important opportunity to turn the tide for the better on these issues on a global scale. Still, the Obama administration has a steep uphill battle on its hands. A simple search on Google or look through Twitter or Facebook reveal news article after news article, video after video, meme after meme, knocking the TPP. It seems interest groups representing all walks of life have a reason to hate the deal. Official statements by Ambassador Froman and President Obama posted to USTR and White House websites— however attractive and interactive—are unlikely to be enough to convince voters that the TPP is not just a Trojan Horse for big business. The clock is ticking, Mr. Obama. You need a full-court, public-relations press on this one. —Maria C. Livingston, Associate Editor Report Critiques Public Diplomacy and Broadcasting T he Department of State and the Broadcasting Board of Governors must dedicate more resources to audi- ence research, analytics, and process and impact evaluations. major corporations, has undermined the agreement’s credibility. Its details were finally released on Nov. 5, a full month after its announcement, and are now undergoing a 90-day review before facing an up-or-down vote in Congress. For proponents, the timing of the deal—the economic component of President Barack Obama’s pivot to Asia—couldn’t be more inconvenient. It’s anybody’s guess as to whether the Obama administration has what it takes to con- vince enough Democrats and Republi- cans to gamble on the agreement’s merits during an election year. Already, all three Democratic presi- dential candidates have disavowed the TPP, citing a general lack of protections for American workers. There is a lot to unpack in the pages of the deal, but there are many positive attri- butes to be sure. For instance, the pact eliminates or reduces tariffs on goods traded between partner countries—a major plus for U.S. exporters who cur- rently face astronomical barriers (some agricultural exports face tariffs as high as 700 percent!). Non-tariff advantages include strong labor and human rights protections requiring parties to allow workers the right to organize and bargain collectively. It also aims to eliminate forced and child labor and obliges TPP countries to adopt minimumwage laws and occupational safety standards. Even the environment benefits: provi- sions to combat wildlife trafficking (e.g. elephants and pangolins), the illegal harvest and timber trade, and illegal, Historic Trade Deal Is a Tough Sell O n Oct. 5, U.S. Trade Representa- tive Michael Froman sat on a stage in Atlanta, Georgia, with counterparts from 11 other Pacific Rim nations and announced that they had reached a deal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The announcement was a milestone in an historic five-year process, during which the United States participated in more than 20 formal and informal nego- tiating rounds to arrive at the 30-chapter trade pact. Touted as the largest regional trade agreement in history, the TPP involves countries whose collective economies equal roughly 40 percent of global gross domestic product. The bloc of 12 coun- tries comprises the United States, Aus- tralia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Vietnam, Chile, Brunei, Singapore and New Zealand. According to USTR, “[The TPP is] a high-standard, ambitious, comprehensive and balanced agreement that will promote economic growth; support the creation and retention of jobs; enhance innova- tion, productivity and competitiveness; raise living standards; reduce poverty in our countries; and promote transparency, good governance, and enhanced labor and environmental protections.” But, as it turns out, the TPP may not be all rainbows and butterflies. Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, has said the deal is “not worthy of the Ameri- can people and the American worker.” Doctors Without Borders claims the TPP is “the most harmful trade agreement ever for access to medicines,” while the citizen opposition group Expose the TPP is calling it the “dirtiest trade deal you’ve never heard of.” The fact that the negotiations were done in secret, and in consultation with TALKING POINTS DAVID BROSSARD/CREATIVE COM MONS The humble pangolin, a poster child for the scourge of wildlife trafficking, is expected to be a beneficiary of the TPP.