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There are plenty of reasons why virtually all international negotiations are conducted in secret. For one tiny example, imagine the effect on the markets and pe
by Tloewald 11y ago
There are plenty of reasons why virtually all international negotiations are conducted in secret. For one tiny example, imagine the effect on the markets and perhaps worse the effect of markets on the negotiations.
If the process were made transparent then the negotiations would simply take place somewhere else.
Just remember, when you see a "public negotiation" of a treaty of some kind, that the actual negotiations took place well in advance of any announcements and in complete secrecy.
Do you think nuclear arms control treaties are negotiated in public? Which do you think is more important -- negotiations that could result in the end of the world, or negotiations over tariff policy?
- stdgy 11y agoBut the market's largest participants already know what's going into the negotiations. They're privy to the draft texts of the deal and are the executive's primary 'consultants'. They know as much as, if not more than, our actual elected Representatives. So I'm not sure what you mean by 'imagine the effect on the markets' or 'the effect of the markets on negotiations'. The market's most powerful players are already guiding the legislation. The only people that seemingly aren't allowed to directly guide the agreement are a country's citizens and its smaller market players, neither of whom are allowed a seat at the table. The pessimist/realist in me suspects the final text will directly reflect this lopsided representation, such that the most powerful will become even more powerful and the least powerful will continue their decline.
- Tloewald 11y agoYou're better-informed that I am. I see from the NY Times: > There is one exception to this wall of secrecy: a group of some 600 trade “advisers,” dominated by representatives of big businesses, who enjoy privileged access to draft texts and negotiators. So yes, my arguments are completely wrong. I still believe that the core of any high stakes negotiation is secrecy while the actual horse-trading is taking place, but this is just stupid, and seems like bad politics too.
- res0nat0r 11y agoUnfortunately it seems the r/politics parroting of the "The TPP is secret so it must be bad" meme has also infected this site. Here is a great summary of why treaties are negotiated the way they are: http://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalDiscussion/comments/35mers/if_the_trans_pacific_partnership_is_such_a_great/cr5rw6n http://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalDiscussion/comments/35mers/...