There were flaws and limitations, but it was a turning point. Now, like it or not, environmental issues are an integral part of the trade debate. Environmental group opposition was one of the major reasons for the defeat of Fast Track legislation last year. It is partly a function of technology. Browse the web sites of almost any environmental group, and you will see what I mean.
Any citizen can follow a high-level environmental trade dispute on the Internet.
The heretofore insulated, inaccessible, and arcane international trade world meets the chaotic, grassroots, democratic, and Internet-savvy environmental world. Let me tell my friends in the trade world something about my friends in the environmental world. I have worked with them for years. Sometimes on the same side, sometimes in disagreement. They are smart, dedicated, energetic, and aggressive.