Throwback Thursday (20 years ago)–

U.S. global trade policy was always about more than the risk/reward of exporting jobs overseas or cheaper foreign labor depressing wages domestically. When the World Trade Organization was established to regulate international commerce, it was not long before battle lines were drawn between countries who were working toward protecting the planet and those who simply wanted to do things on the cheap and exploit Earth’s natural resources.

The Venezuelans claimed that the U.S. Clean Air Act unfairly harmed their dirty petroleum industry. The Mexicans threatened an enforcement action because the U.S. insisted on a policy of dolphin-safe tuna nets. Hong Kong claimed it was illegal for U.S. Customs to deny entry at the docks to its untreated wooden pallets, infested with invasive bark beetles.

I stood with Ralph.

With shout-outs to PC alums: Aileen L. Walsh, Anna Jastrzębiec Witowska, Bob Mentzinger, Booth Gunter, Brett Katz, and Brian Dooley.