U.S. to Toughen Its Stance On Trade
New Policy Reflects Growing Dissatisfaction With Global Markets

“… the administration vowed to make tougher labor and environmental standards prerequisites for trade deals.”

By Anthony Faiola
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The Obama administration is aggressively reworking U.S. trade policy to more strongly emphasize domestic and social issues, from the displacement of American workers to climate change.

Even as world trade takes its steepest drop in 80 years amid the global economic crisis, the administration is preparing to take a harder line with America’s trading partners. It will seek new benchmarks before supporting already-written trade agreements with Colombia and South Korea and is suggesting that it will dig in its heels on global trade talks, demanding that other countries make broader concessions first.

“I believe in trade and will work to expand it, but I also know that not all Americans are winning from it and that our trading partners are not always playing by the rules,” Ron Kirk, President Obama’s nominee as U.S. trade representative, said in confirmation hearing testimony last night before the Senate Finance Committee.

The shift underscores the mounting pressures confronting any effort to expand trade during the economic crisis. Even before the global economy went code red late last year, talks aimed at expanding global trade stalled as Western countries warred with emerging giants like China and India over how to further open markets.

Those divides appear to be more unbreachable than ever as world leaders move to protect their domestic industries from the ravages of the financial crisis, embracing new trade barriers aimed at imported goods and other measures meant to restrict the flow of capital outside their borders. In the United States, more Americans are blaming cheap imports for job losses at home and congressional leaders pressed successfully to include a “buy American” provision in the $787 billion stimulus program to give an edge to U.S.-made products.

“Our consensus to advance international trade is frayed,” Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said at Kirk’s hearing yesterday. “Our faith in the international trading system is badly shaken.”

During the campaign, Obama said he generally supports free-trade policies but also signaled a tougher approach that is only now beginning to be outlined. Both in Kirk’s testimony yesterday and in a policy statement issued by new Obama appointees at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the administration vowed to make tougher labor and environmental standards prerequisites for trade deals. Rather than stressing the signing of new agreements, the administration indicated that it will instead prioritize stricter enforcement of existing ones before the World Trade Organization — the Geneva-based body that arbitrates global trade.

In what appeared to be a jab at the Bush administration’s zealous pursuit of free-trade agreements, Kirk, a former mayor of Dallas, said: “I do not come to this job . . . with deal fever. We’re not going to do deals just for doing so.”

The administration, he said, is conducting a review of trade agreements signed by the previous administration with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. He said outright that the deal with South Korea, as currently written, “is simply unfair.” He added that “we are prepared to step away from that” if it is not reworked.

The new administration policy statement, released by the trade representative’s office last week, said Obama would seek new benchmarks for the passage of the agreements with South Korea and Colombia. South Korea has come under fire for its hurdles for U.S. automakers, while U.S. unions have said Colombia has not done enough to combat violence against labor leaders there. Though Kirk declined to detail what those benchmarks may be, analysts have suggested that they might involve, for instance, a U.S. insistence that murders of union leaders be sharply reduced in Colombia before lending support to the deal.

The trade representative’s office also stated that trade policy must now contain a new element of “social accountability,” including on issues such as climate change. “We should aim to make trade a part of the tool kit of solutions for addressing international environmental challenges,” the statement said.

“The result will be a complete rethink on what U.S. priorities are on trade and what trade agreements look like in the future,” said Randall Soderquist, senior trade program associate at the Center for Global Development. “This could mean starting from scratch versus just taking the baton from the Bush administration.”

Yet the administration still appears to be toeing a line, saying it will move to address the concerns of American workers while also carefully avoiding words and deeds that directly smack of protectionism.

Though Obama said before the elections that he would seek to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, he has since backed away from that statement, vowing during his recent trip to Canada to avoid protectionism. Obama’s opposition to a stronger version of the “buy American” provisions added to the stimulus bill last month by congressional Democrats is also viewed as a major reason it was eventually watered down before the bill reached his desk for signing.

In addition, Kirk — who appears headed for confirmation despite an admission that he mistakenly underpaid his taxes by $10,000 — is viewed by many as a pragmatist who in the past has supported the notion of free trade.

Yet the administration, analysts say, is also up against an American public that is increasingly blaming the open U.S. trade policies of the past as part of the toxic mix at the root of the nation’s economic problems. Kirk suggested as much yesterday.

“It is true that cheaper foreign products helped squeezed American families stretch their dollars, and the sale of our goods and services abroad support American families,” he said. “But it is also true that the overarching benefits of trade are difficult to appreciate when a plant closes in a small community because of increased foreign competition.”

The positive or negative needs, goals, desires and forces that impel an individual toward or away from certain actions, activities, objects or conditions. The inner needs and wants of an individual what affects behavior.

We are all affected by the element of motivation, or more often than not, lack of it.  There are moments in time when I am motivated in one area but not in another.  For instance, at this very moment I am not very motivated at work. This is not to say that my job isn’t motivating because it is, very much so, but at times I find it hard to get out of my own way, even when tasks become urgent.

I’ve found that there are two types of motivation which are defined below: 

Intrinsic Motivation
The motivation or desire to do something based on the enjoyment of the behavior itself rather than relying on or requiring external reinforcement.

Extrinsic Motivation
The desire or push to perform a certain behavior based on the potential external rewards that may be received as a result.

With these two definitions I find myself in a Catch22.  Intrinsic motivation is cultivated though enjoyment of a behaviour rather than an external reward for such behaviour.  Sounds simple enough, but how does one make themselves enjoy something enough to find this type of motivation.  Do I just wait until something miraculous happens to create enjoyment?  Or is it a matter of willpower?  If it is the latter, then that would greatly improve my experience with the dentist!

Ok, so if that doesn’t work then we only have extrinsic motivation.  The problem that can be found in the very root of the work “ext”rinsic.  This type of motivation is cultivated through external rewards. This is fine in principle, but it brings us back to intrinsic motivation. If we aren’t intrinsically motivated for the reward, then extrinsic motivation has no effect. 

Any ideas?

Voilà, eurovison 2008 c’est maintenant une souvenir du passé. Comme toujours j’ai voté, et bien sur ma vote a été accordée à la Roumanie. N’empêche que la Roumanie n’a même pas eu des votes de ses voisines. En tout cas je trouve que leur prestation c’était top.

makes Jim a very dull boy.

Life has turned routine – wake up at 5:30, have coffee with Séb, from 6:00 – 7:00 read email attempting to write but never accomplishing the task, 8:30 – 18:30 is work a forever cascading avalanche of this and that, 19:00 – 10:00 eat then clean up and then pack. 10:30 – 5:30 sleep.

Moving day is coming soon, only four more days and then it all goes into a big truck. There’s so much administration but I think I have it more or less under control. Unfortunately, to look around the flat one would never know we were moving so soon.

It’ll all be over soon though, and then we’ll trade one routine in for another. Séb finishes school in June, the new flat will eventually take shape, summer is upon us and we’ll have a nice yard for BBQs.

I’m looking forward to this new routine. With school finished the hours will shift. No more getting up at 5:30, but rather, at 7:00 like the rest of the world. This means I can finally stay up past ten!

I think the hardest part will be social reintegration. It has been almost a year since we went out like normal folk. Since then people have changed, new groups have formed, changed, evolved. Lives have continued in my absence, this is normal, but now it is up to me to cut out my place in this new social fabric that I find before me. It’s slightly overwhelming to be honest. What will our new group look like? Which of the hundred telephone numbers in phone have changed, which ones will remain and which ones have moved on too far for me to catch up?

Forming or entering new groups isn’t easy, and my case is a bit particular. With a partner where English is still on the wish list, a balance must be struck between French and my mother tongue. Too much of the former forces my role as the simultaneous translator, and too much of the latter restrains my participation (My french is quite good at the moment, though I find what little humour I have doesn’t translate well )

Ah well, I can’t complain, we are healthy, happy and far from starving which I suppose is the most important.

I am, however, looking forward to things settling. It’s is with hesitant excitement that look toward stepping back and watching this new chapter unfold.

Voilà, dans le jeu de « Risk » il y a toujours un gagnant. Cette fois-ci la monde a trouvé quelqu’un de bien pour la diriger !

Bonne anniversaire mon beau.  J’espère que tu as passé une belle journée.  27 ans et tu es un homme magnifique.  Je suis tellement fier d’être avec quelqu’un aussi bien, sensible et avec un cœur d’or.  J’ai hâte pour voir ce que les futures années ont pour toi.  Happy birthday ☺

In cand din cand vreau sa vorbesc sau scriu si eu in romana. Nu imi vine sa cred ca n-am trecut prin Romania de 3 ani, ce nasol. Inainte am mers acolo trei ori pe an minim si am locuit in state in timpul respectiv. Acum, sunt in Elvetia, foarte aproape si nu ajung deloc, mi-e rusine sa zic asa. Asta e, viata merge prea repede si nici nu imi dea seama.

Oricum Romania va fi intotdeuna in inima mea, este prima mea iubita si nu voi uita niciodata.

Sights from Romania

Voilà, cette semaine c’est la semaine de l’intégration – on parle de l’intégration en Suisse bien sûr. Alors il y a toute sorte des émissions et témoignages sur les personnes venant de tous les coins du monde qui habite en Suisse. C’est très intéressant de voir les différentes pointes de vue et expériences documentées sur clip vidéo. Je t’invites de jeté un coup d’oeil:

et aussi sur TSR

We went to Normandy for Easter and stayed at a cottage lost in the countryside. The weather wasn’t fantastic, cold and rainy with flits of sunshine every now and again. Still, even in the shadow of the overcast sky, the region has a charm of its own. The oceans kept at bay by a series of cliffs, ruins marking the trail of William the Conquerer, the simplicity of life in all its fullness.

Normandie

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