The issue is war. I have stated this before...tha

The issue is war. I have stated this before...that when you have open free trade with another..you have an alliance. The work group issued this further:

Quote:

---

Historically, most nations incorporated noneconomic foreign policy into their trade policies. Britain’s Navigation Acts sought to beggar the economic might of the Dutch Republic, a military rival, rather than bolster British merchant shipping. However, after the Cold War, many countries came to see trade policy as largely an economic endeavor independent of noneconomic, geopolitical calculations. That post–Cold War calculus is now changing in many parts of the world. China and Russia routinely use trade policy to influence the behavior of their neighbors. The Obama administration hasexplicitly presented TPP as a way to bolster the broader U.S. rebalance to Asia. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has compared the regional geopolitical impact of TPP to that of an aircraft carrier strike group. In recent years, many lawmakers have viewed individual trade issues, such as the liberalization of fossil fuel exports from the United States, as a way to use U.S. economic heft to push back against perceived Russian bullying in the energy trade. Although some workshop participants argued that broad foreign policy considerations have always been central to trade deals, many others concurred that noneconomic factors are gaining in relative importance.

---

Though i am not a big fan of the current Administration(mainly the back office)....this is powerful...and the Pres' gets it(or at least someone explained it correctly to him).

Here's an opinion that rests strongly in fact:

9 Wars That Were Really About Commodities

The recent rise in tensions over the disputed South China Sea has drawn attention to the possibility that the conflict is really about natural resources located in the islands of the South China Sea.

http://www.businessinsider.com/nine-wars-that...012-8?op=1