Comments on: Will President Obama Be Good For Global Trade? http://panjiva.com/blog/2008/11/05/will-president-obama-be-good-for-global-trade Blogging the World of Global Trade Sun, 18 Jul 2010 10:02:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Lisa Reisman http://panjiva.com/blog/2008/11/05/will-president-obama-be-good-for-global-trade/comment-page-1#comment-46 Lisa Reisman Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:09:43 +0000 http://blog.panjiva.com/index.php/2008/11/05/will-president-obama-be-good-for-global-trade/#comment-46 I think the first point of this post is spot on...I do believe Obama to be more free-trade then he let on in order to appease voters. But I have to disagree with your prediction on no. 2. It's unfair to blame Bush for failed Doha rounds. You can actually thank the US senate for passing an Agricultural Farm Bill chock full of subsidies and benefits to US farmers. Bush vetoed the bill and Obama voted for it. That bill (which also authorized these crazy ethanol incentives skewing corn prices for much of this year) has created a lot of international trade ill will. The US refused to remove the farm subsidies and that was the main area of contention around Doha. No I don't think Obama is going to lead the way in international trade. He can help regarding Kyoto but he has been largely silent on international trade as a policy. I don't see it in his top 10 agenda... I think the first point of this post is spot on…I do believe Obama to be more free-trade then he let on in order to appease voters. But I have to disagree with your prediction on no. 2.

It’s unfair to blame Bush for failed Doha rounds. You can actually thank the US senate for passing an Agricultural Farm Bill chock full of subsidies and benefits to US farmers. Bush vetoed the bill and Obama voted for it. That bill (which also authorized these crazy ethanol incentives skewing corn prices for much of this year) has created a lot of international trade ill will. The US refused to remove the farm subsidies and that was the main area of contention around Doha. No I don’t think Obama is going to lead the way in international trade. He can help regarding Kyoto but he has been largely silent on international trade as a policy. I don’t see it in his top 10 agenda…

]]> By: Thomson http://panjiva.com/blog/2008/11/05/will-president-obama-be-good-for-global-trade/comment-page-1#comment-45 Thomson Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:25:30 +0000 http://blog.panjiva.com/index.php/2008/11/05/will-president-obama-be-good-for-global-trade/#comment-45 Interesting arguments, but I find it difficult to believe that Obama will be able to accomplish much on the free trade front given the emergence of India and China as strong international players. The Wall Street Journal had an article today that highlights this concern. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122588551940101355.html?mod=vocus I quote- "EU officials say they believe Mr. Obama to be more of a convinced free trader than he let on during his election run. "Europe will be looking for the next president to be a strong partner, including in our effort to conclude the Doha round," Catherine Ashton, the EU's new trade commissioner said in an interview. But no matter Mr. Obama's enthusiasm for the so-called Doha round of world trade talks, he has no better chance of concluding a multilateral trade deal than his predecessor, especially at a time of a global financial crisis and economic recession. The talks broke down in July over India and China's right to impose special tariffs on food imports, and EU and U.S. farm tariffs and subsidies. "It's frankly hard to see Doha going forward, whatever the president does," said Richard Weiner of Chicago-based Sidley Austin, the law firm where Mr. Obama started his career and met his wife." Interesting arguments, but I find it difficult to believe that Obama will be able to accomplish much on the free trade front given the emergence of India and China as strong international players. The Wall Street Journal had an article today that highlights this concern.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122588551940101355.html?mod=vocus
I quote- “EU officials say they believe Mr. Obama to be more of a convinced free trader than he let on during his election run. “Europe will be looking for the next president to be a strong partner, including in our effort to conclude the Doha round,” Catherine Ashton, the EU’s new trade commissioner said in an interview.

But no matter Mr. Obama’s enthusiasm for the so-called Doha round of world trade talks, he has no better chance of concluding a multilateral trade deal than his predecessor, especially at a time of a global financial crisis and economic recession. The talks broke down in July over India and China’s right to impose special tariffs on food imports, and EU and U.S. farm tariffs and subsidies.

“It’s frankly hard to see Doha going forward, whatever the president does,” said Richard Weiner of Chicago-based Sidley Austin, the law firm where Mr. Obama started his career and met his wife.”

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