The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), otherwise known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is an agreement between 12 of the countries that border the Pacific Ocean, or are otherwise islands within it. These countries are a mere fraction of all those bordering and within the Pacific Ocean, and include: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam. Even more interesting is the surprising omission of China.

While the TPP is still not official, it has come under much scrutiny, mainly for its close-mouthed approach to presenting itself to the public. Many, outside the government officials negotiating it, feel that decisions are being made without their knowledge, as they are not provided the information necessary to make an informed decision. On the other side are those defending the secrecy of the TPP, stating that nothing was shared during the negotiation stage as no true agreements were being decided upon. Another criticizing point of the TPP is that it seems obvious that is is part of a ploy to intimidate China, who has a large global and economic presence, as it was previously mentioned that China is not currently a part of the TPP.

While still highly criticized, the TPP has been since somewhat outlined. If it were to take effect, many different areas of interest would be impacted, whether it would positively or negatively affect these areas seems to still be up for debate. One area that would be affected by the TPP is the area of international trade. Many trade-barriers between countries would be removed, as well as the increase in privacy specific to transactions made online. Another area to be affected by the TPP include that of the protection of the environment. While certain groups such as the Sierra Club oppose the TPP, stating how it would “affect climate, water, and land” other groups such as the World Wildlife Fund support it. The Peterson Institute for International Economics has even gone on record stating that the TPP would be “the most environmentally friendly trade deal every negotiated”.

Another few important ways the TPP would affect certain areas are: good governance, human rights, and agriculture. Good governance is about instituting strict rules to combat any form of political corruption, and thus all member-countries of the TPP would have to agree to join the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). In terms of human rights, the TPP would crack down hard on child labor laws and human trafficking, both of which are sadly still serious issues in some countries such as Malaysia. Lastly, the effects on agriculture, as with most of the TPP, seem to be not fully understood yet. While most agricultural groups appear to be waiting to comment on the TPP until official release of its details, it seems based on recent negotiations that the TPP would be a beneficial one for agriculture. For example, it would look to lift taxes on the import of U.S. poultry products (at 40%) and soybeans (at 35%) as well as on the exports of fruits (at 40%). In addition, tariffs in other countries are being eliminated as well, with some of these being eliminated immediately following the TPP’s passing, including in countries such as New Zealand and Malaysia. Ultimately, the aforementioned five examples of areas that will be affected by the TPP are just a fraction of the many, another reason the TPP seems to be such a huge deal, since it will impact so many different fields.

In the United States, the passing of the TPP now seems to be unclear. While President Obama and his administration seemed to support it, with the recent election of Donald Trump to the presidency, our country’s support of the TPP could change. For example, President-Elect Donald Trump recently stated that he and his administration will not support the TPP, beginning on his first day in office. For now, these are just words, and the actual action of the USA not supporting the TPP remains to be seen. However, as a student in PLSC 167, and an American, I can understand why the TPP is constantly being debated. The secrecy alone is enough to generate skepticism, and this is understandable. However, it is also understandable that such a large agreement between so many different countries, which when combine make up about 40% of the global economy, almost NEEDS to be debated. Such a large scale and grandiose plan needs criticism. It needs everyone questioning every detail to ensure it benefits the many and not the few. Truthfully, for this blog I was only able to learn so much, and still consider myself not truly well-informed on all there is to know about the TPP, its pros, and its cons. I do know that not everyone will always be pleased, especially on a global scale, but the TPP certainly seems to have its benefits, especially to the environment which I wholeheartedly support and always will support anything that benefits Mother Earth. Ultimately, we as the public must keep demanding official releases of the TPP details, and if its pros outweigh the cons perhaps the new administration in United States will reconsider.