Most Americans think of diplomacy as a discussion of war and peace. But diplomacy is also a matter of dollars and cents (and euro and Yen). In today's interconnected world, foreign policy challenges are inseparable from economic ones. A strong economy is the foundation of America's strength in the world, and our diplomacy can and must be a force for our economic renewal.
That is why the State Department has redoubled its efforts at the nexus of economics and diplomacy--what we call "Economic Statecraft." Today, which Secretary Clinton has declared the first-ever Global Economic Statecraft Day, American embassies and consulates around the world are seizing the opportunity to channel the collective might of diplomats, development experts, and businesspeople to create economic opportunities for the American people.
Here are ten ways we are using America's presence abroad to build our economic muscle at home:
1. We fight for a level playing field for American businesses around the world. When the competition is fair, American companies thrive. When it isn't, we push back. We protect companies from discrimination, unfair trade practices and barriers behind borders. Earlier this year, when a small bedding manufacturer in the Northwest sought help appealing a Canadian customs ruling we felt violated NAFTA rules, our diplomats led the charge. By fighting for duty free access for this company's exports, we saved over 1,500 American jobs.
2. We open new markets to American trade and investment. Last year we teamed up with our colleagues at the U.S. Trade Representative's office to pass three major Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). Our FTA with South Korea alone is projected to deliver over $11 billion in new U.S. exports while supporting more than 70,000 American jobs. The next batch of FTAs will be even better: we're negotiating a high-quality Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement that will create a free trade market covering 40 percent of global trade and raise the bar for labor, environmental, and competitiveness standards.
3. We promote American exports. Two years ago, President Obama announced the National Export Initiative to double U.S. exports by the end of 2014. We partnered with our colleagues across the government and sprang into action. Last year, U.S. exports reached a record $2.1 trillion, a 33.5% increase since the initial announcement that helped create over 1.2 million new jobs.
4. We protect American intellectual property (IP). For decades, we have helped ensure that our innovators are rewarded fairly for their ideas. We are also enlisting new players to the cause-- including a coalition of private companies that are leading by example and fighting IP theft within their own supply chains. That helps American producers, innovators, and workers.
5. We make regulations make sense. Nothing is more frustrating than bureaucratic red tape. We are working to harmonize, when possible, international regulatory standards to reduce costs and open new doors for American businesses. It may not make the headlines, but it does create jobs.
6. We encourage the world to invest in America. Foreign investment is responsible for more than five million American jobs, and every additional dollar of foreign investment means more jobs at home. That's why we are working hand-in-hand with the Department of Commerce, as well as state and local governments across the country to attract money from overseas for projects large and small. For example, we helped coordinate a Canadian automotive company's $20 million investment in Michigan, which created over 100 American jobs.
7. We help American businesses take part in on growth around the world. Growth in the developing world is a goal for USAID --it is also an opportunity that we're helping American companies to seize. For example, as Brazil invests billions to host the World Cup and Olympics, we just signed a deal that will help U.S. companies compete for lucrative infrastructure contracts.
8. We connect our cities to the world. We've negotiated Open Skies air transport agreements with over 100 partners countries. Each agreement better connects businesspeople and tourists to the American market by opening opportunities for U.S. and international airlines. The direct flight between Memphis and Amsterdam alone, for example, injected $120 million into Tennessee's economy and created over 2,200 local jobs.
9. We promote tourism to the United States. Tourism supports over 7.6 million American jobs. In 2011, over 62 million international visitors contributed a record $153 billion to our economy. That means our consular officers aren't just issuing visas, they're creating jobs. So, we're working hard to meet skyrocketing demand for visas: last year, we issued 7.5 million tourist visas, nearly 20 percent more than we did in 2010.
10. We promote global peace and security--and that's good for America's bottom line. History teaches that stability pays better dividends than strife, and cooperation is more lucrative than conflict. We invested about $13 billion in postwar Europe through the Marshall Plan. Now, our annual exports to the EU total $240 billion.
Here's the bottom line: our leadership in the world and our economic strength at home are a package deal. Our investment in diplomacy and development shores up both.
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Kerry Trueman: Cheers to That Rare Bird, the Conservative Who Conserves
that last one... promoting peace and prosperity.. Iraq is a Failed State, North Africa and the Middle East into Asia are a mess by your hand.
6. Buying American companies and shipping our jobs over to China is not a good investment in America.
7. Encouraging multinationals with no love for our nation is not the best way to keep America strong either. Look at Apple, they could build iPhones and iPads, etc here for $3-$10 more, but they won't. They have no loyalty for the U.S., they multinationals.
8. That would be great if it benefited us.
9. Great, more servant jobs for us. We'd rather make something and sell it to them. They can come here and tour the plant.
10. Killing anyone that doesn't like what you have to say doesn't promote peace. We are the greatest ally to Al-Quada, every time we bomb a school or burn someone's home to the ground, more Muslims sign up to stop us. Wouldn't you, if say China came here and started bombing our schools and burning our homes to the ground?
This is a pack of GOP lies, my question is, why Obama's guy the one selling GW Bush's old message? There's something to think about.
1. "Free" trade is neither fair nor free. It has cost too many American jobs, sure Walmart is still hiring, but the good jobs are gone.
2. The new trade markets ship more goods INTO the US than OUT OF. We are averaging a $600 billion trade deficit every year. If we had a trade surplus, that would = jobs, deficit equals cheaper goods for the unemployed.
3. Our trade deficit from 2000-2011 was $7.4 trillion. It only went down in 2008 due to the recession. We are not exporting more of anything we make here in the states. We are shipping out more trash though, which China recycles and sells back to us, another win for them, lose for us.
4. The US has lost more IP than ever thanks to the WTO, or rather China's membership to it. We ask the WTO for help, China blows them off, we do nothing. Great policy.
5. A lack of regulations can't be called "regulations that make sense." We don't want lead paint in our toys, who will stop it? We check less that 2% of the food coming in from 3rd world nations with NO regulations.
Unemployment with its much reduced purchasing power only strengthens the need for import of the cheapest possible goods. It is a vicious circle.
* I am only referring to demand and not to reality in which we are clearly not the nation with the highest standard of living for all. Switzerland for one easily beats us.
10. We promote global peace and security--and that's good for America's bottom line.
I can't wait to see the return on investment we get from our $4 trillion spending on our latest war... uh, peace... efforts. Maybe default and currency collapse is good for America's bottom line?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/13/obama-trade-document-leak_n_1592593.html