1/ Every other week or so, trade twitter descends into angry nerd fisticuffs over who gets to call themselves a "Trade Negotiator." This occurs becuase it's actually a confusing blanket term which can legitimately be used to describe two very different vocations.
2/ I was a "Trade Negotiator" in that I was a government representative, tasked with hammering out consensus with other governments on the rules of international trade.
My work can be called 'Trade Policy' and is far less interesting than this (NSFW):
My work can be called 'Trade Policy' and is far less interesting than this (NSFW):
3/ There are other "Trade Negotiators" who work every day to hammer out deals with private firms on often very complex international transactions.
They operate within the policies and rules my former colleagues and I hammered out to actually TRADE things.
They operate within the policies and rules my former colleagues and I hammered out to actually TRADE things.
4/ Intuitively you would assume the two types of Trade Negotiators are thick as thieves but in practice (in my experience) we tend to only have a passing familiarity with one another's work and world.
People don't realize this, and assume trade negotiators are experts on both.
People don't realize this, and assume trade negotiators are experts on both.
5/ Because this is Twitter, when the two types of trade negotiators collide the result can sometimes be an argument instead of learning.
This is really unfortunate, because the current landscape is complex enough that we could use all the informed perspectives we can get.
This is really unfortunate, because the current landscape is complex enough that we could use all the informed perspectives we can get.
