Pacific Rim Job Completed
“Long after the details of this negotiation like tons of butter have been regarded as a footnote in history, the bigger picture of what we have achieved today remains.” That celebratory, yet nearly indecipherable, quote from New Zealand trade minister Tim Groser gives you some idea of how hard it was for the U.S. and eleven other countries to finally agree to a trade pact that has been in the works for years. (Sidenote: The U.S. negotiations were run by the highly-regarded Michael Froman, a kid from my old neighborhood. So yes, that single neighborhood was responsible for giving rise to one kid who went on to become a historically consequential trade representative and another kid who came up with this section’s headline.)