This book is a critical analysis of recent trends in U.S.
international trade policy that undercut U.S. security objectives
and run counter to broader U.S. gains in economic competitiveness. The author is professor of political science and
international affairs at George Washington University. A summary of the book follows.
From the earliest months of his presidency, Bill Clinton staked a large part of his foreign and domestic economic strategy on U.S. trade policy. Now, as the president begins his campaign for reelection, that policy is in serious trouble.
When Clinton came into office, he set five broad trade policy goals: (1) to pursue a more aggressive strategy of geo-economic warfare with America's allies, especially Japan and the European Union; (2) to shift the emphasis of U.S. trade policy toward the rapidly growing markets of Asia; (3) to complete the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Uruguay Round negotiations of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT); (4) to launch a national export strategy in emerging markets such as China, Indonesia, Argentina, Poland, and South Africa; and (5) to convert America's traditional Pentagon-based, defense-oriented industrial and
technology policy into a civilian-oriented Advanced Technology Program based in the Commerce Department