Sources of Information on the Trans-Pacific Partnership

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) is a free trade agreement between 12 countries in the Asia Pacific region: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam. The agreement, signed by the U.S. and other participating countries in Auckland, New Zealand on February 4, 2016, “promotes economic integration to liberalise trade and investment” and “bring economic growth” to the region and participating countries. One reason for the sense of uncertainty, unease, and concern surrounding free trade agreements in general and the TPP in particular is that the negotiations are not public and have been described by many as “shrouded in secrecy.” This, combined with the large number of polemical articles, blogs, editorials, speeches, and news reports for and against free trade and the TPP, makes it difficult to find neutral information about the agreement and its potential impact on the U.S. and regional economies, regulations in affected industries, health, safety, and the environment. Fortunately, it is possible to find useful sources of information despite the lack of transparency relating to the debates, discussions, and documents of the negotiations themselves.