Before getting into any of this, I feel that it is important to say that my intention here is to calm tensions between the United States and China, not to heighten them. I believe that the probability of direct military conflict between the United States and China over the next few decades is relatively slim […]
In a sharply divided electorate, opposition to free trade is creating an unlikely point of unity between angry voters across the aisle.
Sri Lanka is expanding its free trade agreement with India. Nationalism is acting against, as usual. But the state regulatory structure is the real issue.
With all the attention turned to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), currently negotiated by the U.S. with 12 Asian countries, few seem to notice anymore the equally important Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the European Union and the United States.
As ordinary Americans are continuously distracted by Holiday shopping deals, Dancing With the Stars, and things in their own, personal lives, the wealthy one percent class of elites that we hear so much about has kept its eye on the prize. Ordinary Americans might be wondering if the Dow Jones Industrial Average is at record […]
In the 1980s, Japanese carmakers began to move production to the United States. Today, they — along with German and South Korean makers — account for more than 40% of the autos made in the United States. The move begs a question, taken up by a recent New York Times article: Could consumer electronics makers […]
In a clear threat of economic warfare, China indicated that it may sell-off its holdings of U.S. Treasury notes in retaliation for our recent arms sale to Taiwan.
ASEAN and U.S.: As predicted by this blog, the Obama Administration is moving to create a comprehensive political-economic rapprochement with East and Southeast Asia. The economic arm of this policy direction will branch off of the existing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). So far, the TTP includes a free-trade agreements (FTA) with Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and […]
The United States: Republican Senator Dick Lugar is calling for the U.S. to create a free trade agreement with ASEAN. Lugar stated that sanctions on Myanmar should not negatively America’s economic relationship with the rest of the region. Further: “China, India, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea have already finalized FTAs with Asean and are […]
Asia Times Online is running an article that touches on Australian PM Kevin Rudd’s desire for a Asia-Pacific Union similar to the European Union by 2020. This union would include all of ASEAN, China, Japan, India, and the United States. As fantastic as the proposal is, he is not the first Australian PM […]
The United States maybe in the initial stages of a Southeast Asian foreign policy overhaul; the Obama Administration is not only reconsidering its sanctions against Myanmar, but also reevaluating America’s policy toward the entire Southeast Asian region. Brian McCartan has an informative article on the recent removal of Cambodia and Laos from the United States’ […]
A colleague here at FPA brought to my attention last week proposed legislation in the US congress regarding Afghanistan-Pakistan duty-free areas that looks like it may have promise. The legislation, spearheaded by Rep. Chris Van Hollen, would open up segments of Afghan-Pakistan territory to be free trade or duty-free zones. In other words, certain products […]
Let’s peel our eyes off of today’s Dow Jones Average for just a few minutes… March has marked a rather curious point in US-Mexican relations, causing many to raise a speculative eyebrow toward our new direction in international trade policy. Is President Obama beginning to draw a dangerously protectionist “line-in-the-sand” in an attempt […]
President Obama & PM Stephen Harper of Canada. Many, yet, do not grasp the intrinsic connection between the economy, global financial Markets and foreign policy. If ever there were a great example of ‘Economic Foregin Policy’ at work, it was displayed today in President Obama’s first foreign trip to visit our northern neighbor, Canada. The […]
This week’s (7 Feb 2009) issue of the ‘Economist’ magazine has a brilliant cover story — not about the emergence, but rather, the return of economic nationalism led, unfortuantely, by the former Bush administration’s penchant for protectionist ‘bi-lateralism’. It’s an interesting peice set in context of an emerging consensus on Capitol Hill that weak money-center […]