Yes, there is actually other news in the world: the US, Canada, Mexico deal
Remember all the dire prognostications from press and leftist pundits about what would happen to NAFTA as a result of Trump’s ignorant bluster?
Well, this is what has happened:
The deal replaces, or amends, the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement between the three countries. From the moment he announced his candidacy, way back in 2015, until the day before yesterday, President Trump has assailed the original Nafta as ‘the worst deal ever.’ The fact that US trade with Mexico has gone from a modest surplus in the early years of Nafta to a $68 billion deficit now highlights his concern.
The President came to terms with Mexico last month, but Canada was adamant about not making the concessions that Trump demanded. Last night, burning the midnight oil, US negotiators finally hammered out a deal with Canada to preserve the three-country agreement just moments before the midnight deadline. The deal, which President Trump wants to rename the US-Mexico-Canada — difficult to acronymise, but accurate in its dramatis personae — will go some distance in levelling the playing field for trade among the three countries. As before-the-bell market indices suggest, the citizens and economies of all three countries will benefit. Even Justin Trudeau, Canada’s fountain-of-youth Prime Minister, acknowledged that ‘It’s a good day for Canada’ as he left a Cabinet meeting last night.
One of the many many benefits for the left of the extreme focus on the defamation of Brett Kavanaugh is that other news favorable to Trump can take a back seat:
The deal, which will be signed in late November, greatly reduces impediments to US farmers and manufacturers, especially automakers, and modernises the agreement by providing rules for the world of digital exchange which was in its infancy when the original deal was struck.
A last-minute concession by Canada will open the country’s dairy markets to the US, while for its part the US dropped its demand that special NAFTA trade courts be abolished. There was, in other words, plenty of give-and-take. All parties got important concessions.
The art of the deal
More here, including the fact that Congress may balk at this, and that’s especially true if the House falls into Democratic hands, as so many have predicted. I would think that the Republican turnout in November would be absolutely enormous. But I’ve been wrong before about the American electorate.
One piece of news about the EU very few people is talking about, and it’s DAMN important: the copyright directive has been finally passed.
Don’t get me wrong. This is not about piracy. That’s just the red herring.
The law requires any media in internet to check any text or media (articles, posts, comments, images) against a database service that confirms it’s not copyrighted. It’s unknown up to what point that requirement will be applied, but the key is that such a service would be extremely expensive, only mainstream media or subsidized media being able to afford it.
In a nutshell, the EU has a perfect weapon to take down alternative media, including blogs like yours (were you in the EU).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D89qZ1jgzM
I thought all along that Trump’s tariffs were negotiating tools. Next up, China.
Congress could balk, but it hasn’t taken its responsibilities seriously in decades, so the likelihood is rather low.
since we waited till they built armed bases with SAMS and all that, we HAVE to now have a war… see neo? you cant do a thing about it… people refuse to talk about the thing when you can do something about it… AFTER its a done deal, the impotent gods of mount olympus sit there in judgment and worry discussing idiocy…
war with china is on the way, obama planted that and its a done deal
we decided it wasnt important enough
Chinese warship in ‘unsafe’ encounter with US destroyer, amid rising US-China tensions
A US Navy ship had an “unsafe” interaction with a Chinese warship Sunday while the US vessel was conducting a freedom of navigation operation near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, causing the US ship to maneuver “to prevent a collision,” according to US defense officials.
“A (People’s Republic of China) Luyang destroyer approached USS Decatur in an unsafe and unprofessional maneuver in the vicinity of Gaven Reef in the South China Sea,” Capt. Charles Brown, a spokesman for US Pacific Fleet, told CNN in a statement confirming the incident.
Brown said the Chinese warship “conducted a series of increasingly aggressive maneuvers accompanied by warnings for the Decatur to depart the area.”
He added that the Chinese destroyer “approached within 45 yards” of the front of the US ship, adding that the Decatur “maneuvered to prevent a collision.”
“Our forces will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows,” he said.
The left is pro-Nafta?
Whoa… back the truck up.
If Trudeau is actually sincere in assessing this deal to be a “good day for Canada” then I’ll bet it’s not such a good deal for America.
If that turns out to be the case, then the deal should instead be known as the US-Canada-Mexico agreement, then the acronym would more accurately be the USCAM agreement…
I don’t think Trump anti-trade rhetoric is a negotiating tool. I base this on the fact that he’s been towing the (formerly?) lefty-line since 1987. It’s the one thing that’s been consistent.
He would’ve had to be playing 10-dimension chess…bluffing a position 30 years in advance.
More likely he’s facing the reality that his own party is free-trade. Some might call it the Deep State. So he’s declaring victory and retreating.
There’s no big news here.
People that complain about Trump’s negotiating style and approach know nothing about, and have no experience with, actual negotiating.
Manju:
“toeing”
Alternatively, “towing the lion” [TM] Reason commenters.
You peaked my interest Sonny. And after some research I see that I’ve made a fragrant error. Thanks for nipping it in the butt.
Nearly all of manju’s comments have a certain, um, “fragrance”.
Trump’s stated goal is Free Trade — and he’s pushing against unfair trade.
Neo, I’m glad you caught and highlighted this. The USMCA (US – MCA, could almost be a dance by the “not-City People”?) (or is it the Marine Corps – A?) agreement, if it reduces tariffs, is a step against the protectionism which the Trump critics claim he wants.
I actually think that he has, for a long time, wrongly wanted too much protectionism — but as President he’s claimed to be aiming for Free Trade. And the unfair, higher tariffs on US goods is a good target for both the Rep Free Traders and the America Firsters.
As is often the case, not so many details yet:
“People briefed on the outlines of a revamped deal described changes in language governing dairy imports, dispute resolution between countries, limits on online shopping that can be done tax free, and limits on the U.S. threat of auto tariffs.”
Getting Canada to reduce its protectionist tariffs on dairy means … Reps win Wisconsin?
“The NAFTA Loophole closure is explained in Summary Form HERE; with emphasis on the Auto-Sector. The key is a 75% part origination level for auto-assembly; and a 40-45% level for parts with a minimum $16/hr wage rate. The source-origination rate (75%) is even higher than all previously forecast negotiation results.
Example of downstream consequences/benefits: German auto-maker BMW recently built a $2 billion assembly plant in Mexico (almost complete). Most of their core parts were coming from the EU (steel/aluminum casting components) and/or Asia (electronics). Now the assembly plant will have to source 75% of the auto-parts from the U.S. and Mexico, with 45% of those parts from facilities paying $16/hr. Result: BMW will need to modify their supply chain and build auto parts in the U.S. and Mexico.”
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/08/27/preliminary-details-of-u-s-mexico-trade-deal/
This will have a positive impact for American jobs.
This was one of the major defects of NAFTA.
The China problem won’t be easily resolved, unlike agreements we have forged with the EU, South Korea, Japan and now Canada and Mexico. This may involve some pain. What China has been doing in trade barriers, currency manipulation, forced technology transfers, copyright theft, trans-shipment to avoid regulations has been going on for some time.
It’s past time to force China to accept global norms for trade. Other attempts to cajole China to change have failed.
Manju,
Well played, sir!
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/in-mississippi-trump-mocks-fords-claims-against-kavanaugh/ar-BBNPjhn?ocid=spartanntp
Trump mocking Ford — to Dems it’s so terrible to mock a “sexual assault survivor”. Tho there are increasing doubts about her story. Mocking her testimony “I don’t remember” should not be out-of-bounds.
But Trump is thinking like I was (above):
Trump calls the new trade agreement USMCA, for U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. “Like YMCA or U.S. Marine Corps with an A at the end,” he explained.
(If I don’t toot my horn, who will? It’s not that often…)