My interest in free trade agreements is about more than
securing a long-term growth strategy for the California
almond industry. It is about opening markets, strengthening
economic ties and building long-term peace between
countries. There are many studies that correlate free trade
with reduced genocide and war. As author and publisher
Jeffrey Tucker said, “Where there is commerce there is peace.”
In a complex and changing world, some Americans want
to retreat to the isolationist economy that has not been
possible since the United States was the only major economy
left standing after World War II. Later in the last century,
disruptions to our economy such as the OPEC oil cartel and
the efficiency of Japanese manufacturing were painful, but
caused the U.S. to become more efficient and innovative.
Our economy is the strongest in the world today because we
overcame these challenges. Even if there was a time when we
lived in a protective bubble, the U.S. global interdependence is
now a fact of life. The 2008 financial crisis in the U.S. pushed
most of the world into recession. It took a well-coordinated
international response, including Europe, China and the U.S.
to shore up financial institutions around the world.
According to political scientist Ian Bremmer, the Trans-
Pacific Partnership (TPP), T-TIP and someday bi-lateral
deals with China and India offer extraordinary opportunities
to prove the power of trade, investment and free-market
capitalism to lift billions of people out of poverty and into
a truly global middle class.
Global trade should be something that can unite our
politicians for lower cost of goods for consumers, creating
new jobs and securing lasting peace. In a globalized world,
America cannot succeed unless our partners succeed too.
TPP countries
TTIP countries
Countries that could
join TPP in the near future
