Great Power Politics in a Global Economy Origins and Consequences of the TPP and TTIP

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) represent the most important strategic shift in US trade policy since establishment of the WTO and pursuit of “competitive liberalization.” At face value, TTIP and TTP are seen as a response to deadlock in the WTO. However, international agreements negotiated by states to address specific economic issues such as trade, finance, and monetary policy can have geo-political implications and origins that extend far beyond their initial core economic content. Policy makers must fully understand and carefully manage not only the content under debate but also these agreements’ possible far-reaching geo-political implications and consequences if and when negotiations are concluded. Social scientists must attend to the murky sources and consequences of these deals...

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