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 Vladimir Putin Hates the TTIP

Which is exactly why Europe and Americaneed to get it done.

• BY JAMES STAV!"!S#$%VEMBE &'( )*&+

,resident Barac- %ama recently spent some /uality time

with leaders o0 Asian nations at the Asia#,aci1c Economic 2ooperation

3A,E24 summit in Bei5ing and again at the 6)* 7eaders summit( where he

continued honing trade and diplomatic ties( and made another push 0or the

long#delayed Trans#,aci1c ,artnership trade pact. 8e also held se9eral

tense sideline meetings with ussian ,resident Vladimir ,utin without any

discernale reduction in the gridloc- o9er :-raine.

;lying under the international radar is one o0 the most potentially important

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agreements e9er negotiated across the road Atlantic< the Transatlantic

 Trade and !n9estment ,artnership 3TT!,4( also -nown as the Transatlantic

;ree Trade Agreement 3TA;TA4. !t is a ig as-et o0 agreed#upon rules and

regulations that would ma-e the :nited States and much o0 Europe a 0ree

trade =one( perhaps increasing o9erall trade y as much as >* percent(

according to the European 2ommission and the White 8ouse.

6uess what? ,utin hates it.

!t@s not hard to 1gure out why< it would more tightly ind Europe to the

:nited States( thus hurting ussian le9erage. The TT!, is a sensile

agreement on economic grounds( roadly spea-ing. But it also holds

enormous real 9alue in the geopolitical sphere. The increased lin-ages

etween the :nited States and our European allies and partners will stand

in direct opposition to ,utin@s -ey strategy o0 dri9ing a wedge etween the

:nited States and the E: as the central memers o0 the transatlantic

community.

But let@s ac- up< what are the -ey elements in the transatlantic

relationship?

;irst are 9alues and demographics. The ideas we cherish ## democracy(

lierty( 0reedom o0 speech( 0reedom o0 religion( 0reedom o0 assemly( the

right to peace0ul protest( gender and racial e/uality ## came largely 0rom

Europe. The Enlightenment pro9ided much o0 the asic "$A o0 our nation@s

intellectual heritage( not to mention many wa9es o0 immigrants. To this day(

numerous 0undamental connections etween the :nited States and Europe

persist in our approaches to the ci9il rights( our 5udicial odies( and the

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structures o0 our asic political systems. And y the way( it is worth

rememering that ussia stood largely outside the process o0 the

Enlightenment( with notale cultural distinctions resulting etween Western

European and ussian traditions.

Second is geography. ;or the :nited States( one o0 Europe@s -ey 9alues is its

strategic position on the edge o0 the Eurasian landmass. !n my time as the

$AT% Supreme Allied 2ommander 0or gloal operations( people in the

:nited States would occasionally chide me 0or supporting ases in Europe

that were( in their 9iew( the outmoded astions o0 the 2old War. But as we

ha9e seen o9er the past decade( these ases are anything ut osolete.

Again and again( we ha9e used ases in Europe 0or operations in A0rica( the

7e9ant( and 2entral Asia. Europe@s geographic position etween the :nited

States and many o0 our security interests and allies to the south and west

o0 Europe remains critical.

 Thirdly( the $AT% alliance remains central to our military operations

o9erseas. A0ghanistan( 7iya( the Bal-ans( !ra/( Syria( piracy( and cyer

security are all areas in which our $AT% allies ha9e stood shoulder to

shoulder with us.We will ne9er 1nd another pool o0 ready partners with the

numers( military capaility( and willingness to deploy that we ha9e in

Europe. The Europeans spend C** illion a year on de0ense( and ha9e

millions o0 men and women ## 9irtually all o0 them 9olunteers ## in their

standing armies and reser9es.While Washington would pre0er that European nations spent the 0ull )

percent o0 6", on de0ense that they ha9e pledged( the 0act remains that

they collecti9ely constitute a highly capale 0orce under the aegis o0 $AT%.

 That 0undamental security plan- in the transatlantic ridge is not going

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anywhere( and the recent resurgence o0 the ussian ;ederation( with

itsin9asion o0 :-raine and annexation o0 2rimea( ha9e only ampli1ed the

$AT%@s standing as the gold standard o0 security memership.

;ourth is the economy( which rings us to the TT!,. Some +.) trillion o0

trade Dows across the Atlantic etween the :nited States and Europe. !t is

the largest trading relationship in the * trillion gloal economy( dwar1ng

any other trade relationship 0or the :nited States. Yet this commerce

continues to operate today without the ene1t o0 a 0ree trade =one which

would rea- down regulatory arriers and ## according to the :.S. trade

representati9e ## add to the &C million 5os already dependent on trade. The

 TT!, is a promising idea( and a dra0t agreement could e 1nali=ed y the

end o0 the year.

$aturally( there are challenges. There is ner9ousness on oth sides o0 the

Atlantic aout 9arious elements o0 the potential agreement ## in particular(

worries 0rom Europe aout the competiti9eness o0 the continent@s

agriculture sectorF the impact on energy production and the rise o0 0rac-ingFprotection o0 intellectual propertyF and the le9el o0 protection aGorded to

cultural assets. All o0 these outstanding areas o0 concern ha9e recei9ed

considerale attention 0rom the negotiators( and that there is guarded

optimism they will e resol9ed according to con9ersations with senior

negotiators.

 There will also e ostacles to rati1cation. !n Europe( the European

,arliament will need to appro9e it( and there are /uestions eing raised

aout the need 0or national parliaments to e in9ol9ed. !n the :nited

States( the Senate will ha9e to rati0y the treaty. And we would still need to

address the status o0 2anada and Mexico who currently en5oy a 0ree trade

=one 9ia the $orth American ;ree Trade Agreement with the :nited States(

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and presumaly would e interested in TT!, inclusion. 7i-ewise( in Europe<

0our nations outside o0 the E: would li-ewise e interested 3$orway(

!celand( Swit=erland( and tiny 7iechtenstein4.

So how does all this aGect the geopolitics o0 the region ## especially ussia@s

0raught relationship with the :nited States( $AT%( and the E:?

!n addition to the economic ene1ts that would Dow to oth sides( there is

clear geopolitical 9alue. An economically energi=ed Atlantic community with

a shared 0ree trade =one is 0ar more li-ely to stand 1rm against ussian

pressures 3with natural gas closures( 0or example4 designed to rea- up

transatlantic solidarity. A European economy that en5oys a ounce 0rom the

ene1ts o0 0ree trade creates a stronger military partner 0or the :nited

States( and pro9ides more resources 0or de0ense spending. The agreement

could help impro9e the Atlantic community@s aility to share energy

resources li-e li/ue1ed natural gas through 0ree trade.

!ndeed( a negotiated and e9entually rati1ed TT!, would e a power0ul signal

to ,utin@s ussia that Europe and the :nited States stand together in all

dimensions ## 9alues( politics( security( and trade. And i0 ,utin hates it( TT!,

proaly ma-es sense.

 Jewel Samad( A;,

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