A Firm Free Trader for Bush
Robert B. Zoellick, President-elect George W. Bush’s choice as his top trade negotiator, should have no problems getting confirmed by the Senate. His resume includes a long list of accomplishments in international negotiations in which he distinguished himself as a skilled strategist and an innovative problem solver. He played an active role in talks that shaped some of the most important trade deals in decades, including the creation of the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement. Zoellick’s problems on Capitol Hill will come later when he tries to build a consensus in a divided Congress for Bush’s free-trade agenda.
An alumnus of two previous Republican administrations, Zoellick, a firm believer in free trade, is respected in many capitals for his expertise and resourceful approach to solving problems. Those qualities will serve him well in tackling the unfinished business left behind by his predecessor, Charlene Barshefsky.
Zoellick will have a full plate. First, he will have to settle several festering trade wars with Western Europe, including a multibillion- dollar row over U.S. tax breaks for exporters. His long-standing and friendly relationship with his European Union counterpart, Pascal Lamy, will help. He will then have to complete free-trade negotiations with Latin America and retake the U.S. lead in launching a new round of global trade liberalization talks within the World Trade Organization.
Zoellick was harshly critical of President Clinton’s trade policy, which he said was driven by political considerations at home, rather than by a coherent strategy intertwined with America’s foreign policy goals.
He believes the United States, the world’s largest exporter, is a primary beneficiary of free and open trade. Like Bush and his foreign policy team, he looks at trade as an integral part of building alliances and promoting U.S. interests abroad.
His biggest challenge, especially if the economy continues to deteriorate, will be resisting domestic protectionist pressures. Industry, farmers, labor unions and their various representatives in the nearly evenly divided Congress will be among his toughest constituents.
