Thread by @geoffreygertz

So, I half strongly endorse and half strongly oppose this @noahpinion piece on @ewarren’s trade policy (except I don’t think that’s actually what it’s about – more on that below). A brief thread. 1/ bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

@Noahpinion @ewarren First, where I agree: international development should absolutely be an objective of US trade policy. US trade policy is as much (and arguably more) about foreign policy – advancing US interests and values around the world – as about the domestic economic impact. 2/

@Noahpinion @ewarren It irks me when American progressives show little concern for the global poor, and I think it’s both unjust and short-sighted. 3/

@Noahpinion @ewarren I also agree with @noahpinion that export-oriented development has historically been, and will hopefully remain, a key driver of global prosperity. 4/

@Noahpinion @ewarren And I think everything in this last para is basically correct – so long as ‘advocating to correct some of globalization’s excesses’ doesn’t qualify as ‘attacking globalization’ 5/

@Noahpinion @ewarren The big disagreement is that there is nothing in @ewarren’s trade plan that would contradict any of this. 6/

@Noahpinion @ewarren The heart of the issue, as people like @rodrikdani have been pointing out for a while, is that the concept of “trade” has very little to do with today’s “free trade agreements”. This is just the big, fundamental problem in so many criticisms of @ewarren’s trade policy. 7/

@Noahpinion @ewarren @rodrikdani Saying ‘The US will not sign new trade agreements with countries with weak labor / environmental standards’ is simply not the same thing as saying ‘The US will not trade with these countries’. 8/

@Noahpinion @ewarren @rodrikdani Notably, the countries that got rich following export-oriented trade strategies (Asian Tigers) did not have FTAs with the US. And there’s no good evidence that US FTA partners have experienced particularly faster growth or development than other countries. 9/

@Noahpinion @ewarren @rodrikdani For the record, I would love to see @ewarren put out a policy detailing how American foreign economic policy can better support sustainable development and poverty reduction abroad, because I think there is a lot more we could do here. 10/

@Noahpinion @ewarren @rodrikdani But ‘sign a bunch of FTAs that strengthen IP/pharma protections, give investors access to ISDS, and accelerate financialization’ would be nowhere near the top of the list. 11/end