Do not be fooled by Donald Trump’s refusal to pursue the Trans-Pacific Partnership. That “position” appears to be a one-off, as his administration appears headed toward a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that will make it worse — and will mirror many of the Trans-Pacific Partnership’s problems.
In These Times notes some of the specific goals of the Trump administration in NAFTA talks:
A Trump-led renegotiation will mean a strengthening of heinous Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms, which allow corporations to sue governments that “infringe” on profit-making opportunities, for example, by daring to introduce anti-tobacco legislation.
Indeed, labor — along with the environment and human rights — would take a back seat to profitability of corporations.
