B. Structural Issues 1. Now for the structural problems. The agriculture sector and a few other industries agree on the need to reduce tariffs abroad. And, that issue was not on the table in Seattle. Second, there is an imbalance between commercial and non-commercial interests in the trade system.
Questions regarding worker rights or the environment, occupy little space in our trade system.
The U.S. trade negotiating agenda is usually driven by export interest groups and government officials are rewarded for advancing those interests both in and out of government. But the need for a balanced, globally integrated economy is redefining U.S. trade interests to encompass more than exports. Others think we can make organizations outside the WTO more effective, such as the ILO and the U.N. Environmental Program and that we can strengthen non-trade treaties such as Multilateral Environmental Agreements. A third group says new agreements and institutions must be created. Whatever the answer, in the twenty-first century, people will not accept a trade system which doesn't pay attention to them.