Trump's Short-Term NAFTA Wins Are Tomorrow's Job Losses
Trump's Short-Term NAFTA Wins Are Tomorrow's Job Losses
"The United States risks pulling apart NAFTA...and in the process endangering our ability to lead economically in the region," writes Americas Society Board Member Antonio O. Garza.
It's been eight long weeks since the NAFTA renegotiations kicked off. It was an ambitious agenda for a short period of time, from incorporating the energy and e-commerce sectors to pushing for higher labor and environmental protections. Yet, four rounds of negotiations later and the hopes of bringing the 25-year-old agreement into the 21st century are looking increasingly slim.
At this point, successful negotiations may simply mean the North American Free Trade Agreement continues to exist when this all ends, along with fond memories of a missed opportunity to have done more.
To truly understand what's going on, it's worth revisiting how we got here. During the campaign period, then-candidate Donald Trump made countering trade a tenet of his platform. He singled out NAFTA as the "worst deal ever" and accused Mexico of taking advantage of its northern neighbor….
