2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumBernie Sanders Says He Would Renegotiate NAFTA, Not Violate it
Bernie Sanders Says He Would Renegotiate NAFTA, Not Violate it
The Huffington Post / Zach Carter
15 hrs ago
If elected president, Bernie Sanders would not simply ignore the trade deals he has called "disastrous," but would instead renegotiate them with partner nations, according to an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer .
Donald Trump, another free trade critic in the 2016 presidential race, has vowed to violate the North American Free Trade Agreement and World Trade Organization treaties by imposing tariffs that clearly violate the deals. Sanders, by contrast, has more respect for the conventions of international law. He told the paper that he would maintain the existing deals as he sought to replace them.
"They should be renegotiated," Sanders told the Inquirer. "We have an agreement, legally we have agreement. But they should be renegotiated."
That means that any official benefits from Sanders' opposition to these trade pacts would take years to be realized, even if he succeeds in being reelected and achieves his negotiation goals.
But often the U.S. interpretation of trade pacts has significant implications -- regardless of what the letter of the international law may read. For years, President Bill Clinton's administration insisted that an AIDS relief proposal from South African President Nelson Mandela violated WTO treaties . Although Clinton did not bring a formal WTO challenge against Mandela, his position was enough to prevent Mandela from providing relief, and cowed many other countries against providing low-cost generic versions of prescription drugs that were patented in the United States. When Clinton eventually backed down, however, the international market for cheap AIDS and HIV medication exploded. His interpretation of the WTO is now considered to be totally discredited. (Clinton himself has renounced his actions in the case, and used the Clinton Foundation to provide AIDS and HIV care around the world.) ...
Read more:
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/bernie-sanders-says-he-would-renegotiate-nafta-not-violate-it/ar-BBrx1dj
Skwmom
(12,685 posts)think
(11,641 posts)pampango
(24,692 posts)international law. And Bernie is much more likely to renegotiate the terms of TPP, TTIP and TISA, as he would the existing agreements, than Donald who apparently has never seen an international agreement that he likes. Donald says he will tear up an existing agreement and kill any ongoing negotiations on new agreements.
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)think
(11,641 posts)Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)think
(11,641 posts)think
(11,641 posts)pampango
(24,692 posts)"They should be renegotiated," Sanders told the Inquirer. "We have an agreement, legally we have agreement. But they should be renegotiated."
Bernie will renegotiate the agreements - NAFTA, WTO, etc. He respects "the conventions of international law".
Trump will 'rip them up'. He has no respect for any form of international law. He will act unilaterally to "make America great again."
Thank you Bernie.
think
(11,641 posts)would make America once again look like a country that refuses to keep it's word. The Native Americans know all too well about that.
Unlike Trump Bernie won't make America an international embarrassment and make sure we meet the obligations we already signed onto.
Renegotiating bad trade deals isn't fast and easy. But it's the only ethical way to resolve the problem and make sure America is still trusted & respected in the international community.