![](media/image1.jpeg){width="6.4944444444444445in"
height="0.9923611111111111in"}April 4, 2008

Free trade is diplomatic engagement

By Congressman Joe Pitts

Many of the most adamant critics of the current administration have
spent the last seven years criticizing the President for a foreign
policy they see as unilateralist and lacking in the soft power of
diplomacy. But many of these opponents are also anti-free trade, and
free trade is one of the most powerful diplomatic tools at our disposal.

And the Democratic Presidential candidates have gone so far as to
suggest we should unilaterally withdraw from trade agreements with our
closest neighbors and allies. These are puzzling actions because free
trade has the potential to benefit U.S. diplomatic, economic, and
security interests at the same time.

In spite of this, opposition to free trade exists in Congress because of
the belief that American workers need protection to compete with workers
abroad. This kind of zero sum understanding of trade has kept free trade
from advancing and has prevented many throughout the world from
realizing the mutual benefits that can come from free, fair, and open
trade. In fact, American producers can compete with anyone in the world;
they just need to have access to markets abroad.

And yet, 132 members of the House voted against the Peru Free Trade
Agreement in November---the last trade agreement to come before
Congress.

The U.S. has free trade agreements with allies such as Israel, Canada,
Mexico, and Australia to name a few. And we have passed and are working
toward implementing agreements with Peru and Oman. These agreements have
allowed U.S. firms and producers to send products into these markets
duty-free. In fact, in some cases, goods from abroad were already being
allowed into the United States with little or no tariffs due to
negotiated trade preference arrangements.

These bilateral trade agreements are necessary because the very complex
trade negotiations on the worldwide level have run into significant
hurdles and have become bogged down by wrangling over subsidies and
tariffs.

Since coming to office, President Bush and the Office of the U.S. Trade
Representative have worked vigorously to negotiate further bilateral
trade agreements. President Bush has announced he will shortly submit
the Colombian Free Trade Agreement to Congress for consideration. Many
Democrats in Congress have continued to express their opposition to the
measure and Democratic leaders in the House have expressed their unease
with having to vote on a free trade agreement during an election year.

The Colombian Free Trade Agreement has important potential diplomatic,
economic, and security benefits. It would be a shame if it were to fail
due to union pressure and the anti-trade rhetoric of a campaign year.

Colombia has become an important ally in Latin America. Colombia's
President, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, has worked to bring order back to
Colombia by taking on the narco-terrorists and other paramilitary groups
that have plagued the country with violence in the past. His government
has also aided the United States in clamping down on the drug trae. The
nation is bordered by Venezuela, home to a socialist revolutionary
leader who is not keen about the democracy and rule of law taking shape
in Colombia. Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez, has gone so far as to
drive tanks to the border with Colombia and threaten war.

Opening trade with Colombia would help strengthen the economy of an
important, developing ally. Approval and implementation of the Colombian
Free Trade Agreement will demonstrate strong U.S. support for a country
and a people who share our values of economic freedom and democracy, in
an area that has not fully dedicated to such values.

But the security and diplomatic incentives are not the only reason to
support free trade. Currently, the vast majority of Colombian products
pay no tariffs to enter U.S. markets. This agreement would turn one-way
trade into truly bilateral free trade.

Colombia is our largest export market for U.S. agriculture products in
South America. In fact, in 2007, total U.S. goods exports to Colombia
reached \$8.6 billion. Eighty percent of those goods would enter the
Colombian market tariff-free immediately within enactment of the
agreement.

The Colombia Free Trade Agreement, and agreements with other like minded
democracies, should be approved by Congress because it is in the best
interests of the United States. And those politicians who have
criticized the Bush administration for not engaging in diplomatic
efforts around the world would do well to realize that free trade is
precisely the diplomatic effort they are looking for.

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