The free-trade consensus of the previous two decades has frayed under President Obama, and while he has pushed through some low-level agreements, he has fallen far short of his predecessors on this key driver of the nation’s economy, and analysts say the U.S. is lagging behind many of its chief competitors.
Last fall, Mr. Obama pushed through Congress and signed trade deals with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, but the agreements were negotiated primarily under President George W. Bush, and scholars give Mr. Bush credit for them.
Mr. Obama’s chief accomplishment is continuing talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership — entering a 14th round of negotiations — which would be historic when, or if, it is completed. But the deal is moving slowly, and Mr. Obama’s continued participation has provoked concern among many of his staunchest Democratic allies in Congress and labor unions.
1 comment:
"some low-level agreements"
The SK agreement was low level? Did you forget that although this deal was started under Bush, Obama is the one who held out and negotiated a better deal for the US?
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