During the presidential primaries and in the campaigns, there was a lot of rhetoric about the need for “fair” trade instead of free trade. Candidates were in a populist mode, catering to critical manufacturing states that have lost jobs and serving up trade as the villain.

Now that Senator Barack Obama is the President-elect, there is renewed speculation on what path his administration will take on international trade. Will he make good on his campaign rhetoric that echoed the Democratic platform’s call for renegotiation…

Read the full story

More good reads in the WSJ today.  Mary Anastasia O’Grady in her column in the Wall Street Journal provides a sharp contrast between the two presidential candidates in their approach to international trade.

As O’Grady notes, Senator Obama views trade — not as an economic artivity — but as a tool to pursue other social goals, such as labor and environmental standards.

Mr. Obama says he would change the way the U.S. negotiates trade agreements. Instead of focusing mainly on removing barriers to…

Read the full story