Kaius wrote:Can someone sum this up for a dummy like me? Why so secretive?
Because it's unlikely to pass Congress should the public be given a chance to analyze and debate it, but it will be really good for US corporations and help keep inflation in check by leveraging low salaries and lax environmental standards in the developing world. IOW, maintaining the illusion of the status quo. We already have pretty good trade relationships with these nations and there is nothing in the TPP treaty that has been leaked so far that addresses the "soft" barriers to US products in these foreign markets. It's also important to note that several of the provisions in the SOPA act that failed last year (ie making ISPs liable for copyright violators and thus internet police) are going to be in the TPP.
But that's a bit of a myopic, American worker way of looking at it. If I were China, I would see this as a way up outlining who is siding with the US and who is still searching for their preferred trading partner for the future. Like territorial pissing by the old Alpha-male in the face of the new challenger.
There is a bit of an unusual commonality between the nationalist right and the labor left that may make existing trade proposals DOA. But the reason why each side is trade-skeptic is so different that's it's tough to see how they could unite to really change the status quo.