[Peace-discuss] The Geopolitics of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), A US Imperial Strategy

Tue Jan 19 09:06:35 EST 2016

The Geopolitics of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), A US
Imperial Strategy

A World-System Analysis

By  <http://www.globalresearch.ca/author/wan-fayhsal> Wan Fayhsal

Global Research, January 15, 2016

<http://katehon.com/article/trans-pacific-partnership-agreement-tppa-world-s
ystem-analysis#_ftn5> Katehon

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558>
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnershi
p-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558

The President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, in his brief
sojourn to Malaysia last November made an interesting statement on the hotly
debated Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

He admitted that  <http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1616827> TPPA is more than
just a trade deal as it encourages greater transparency and accountability
due to its comprehensiveness that will benefit all members who are going to
be part of the deal.

The real question is why President Obama hinted that it is more than just a
trade agreement? Who will reap the ultimate benefits?

For that we must refer to
<https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/05/08/remarks-president-tr
ade> his earlier speech in front of the American crowd on the 8th of May,
2015 at Nike Inc. headquarter, Oregon:

We have to make sure America writes the rules of the global economy.  And
we should do it today, while our economy is in the position of global
strength.  Because if we dont write the rules for trade around the world 
guess what  China will.  And theyll write those rules in a way that gives
Chinese workers and Chinese businesses the upper hand, and locks
American-made goods out.

In front of the American audience, the message on TPPA by President Obama
was clearly a different ball game altogether. In short, it is a trade deal
that seeks to buttress the dominant role of the United States in shaping the
political and economic world order by fending off a formidable challenger
like China. At its very core,
<http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/order-from-chaos/posts/2015/03/13-geopolitic
al-importance-transpacific-partnership> TPPA is geopolitical.

TPPA is not an off the cuff initiative. It is embedded within a larger
regional US strategy which Senator Hillary Clinton called
<http://foreignpolicy.com/2011/10/11/americas-pacific-century/> Pivot to
Asia.

As released by Wikileaks, the
<https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07SINGAPORE1932_a.html> US diplomatic
cable on Singapore circa late 2007 indicated that the genesis of TPPA was
partly initiated by Singapores minister mentor, the late Lee Kuan Yew, who
urged the United States to pursue more Free Trade Agreements to give the
region options besides China  another clear indicator it is geopolitically
driven to isolate and contain China economically in the growing Asia Pacific
economies.

As  <http://www.hoover.org/research/eu-experiment-has-failed> European Union
(EU) project seems destined to fail, Washington has long anticipated this
and prepared a strategic shift to reprise EUs role to the US in the form of
ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations). The demographic dividends
of ASEAN
<http://www.iefimerida.gr/sites/default/files/asean-member-countries.jpg>
member states already offered huge economic prospects that could easily
reflect its huge growth potential  something that is
<http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/public_sector/understanding_asean_seven_th
ings_you_need_to_know> too big to be ignored by TPPA lobbyists, especially
among the Multinational Corporations  as they have been eyeing greater
market access in this region.

This pivot to Asia with TPPA as a key pillar is also part of a larger US
international political economic strategy to maintain its grip on all parts
of the world. The pivot is nothing but
<http://thediplomat.com/2015/10/the-tpp-and-china-the-elephant-that-wasnt-in
-the-room/> the revival of the US Cold Wars containment strategy against
the rising superpowers like Russia and China.

The only difference this time around is that the US not only facing its
traditional rivals in the form of Russo-Sino axis but also against the
multilateral bloc in which both Russia and China have commanding presence
alongside India, Brazil and South Africa in what is better known as BRICS.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn1> [1]

Why does the US eagerly push for TPPA?

In April 2015, US Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter, made a compelling
statement with regard to TPPA. He too regarded the trade pact as paramount
to the US national interest in Washingtons rebalancing strategy in the Asia
Pacific. To drive the point further, he compared the TPP to the
<http://www.defense.gov/News/Speeches/Speech-View/Article/606660/remarks-on-
the-next-phase-of-the-us-rebalance-to-the-asia-pacific-mccain-instit>
equivalent of deploying an aircraft carrier to the region.

It is not a misplaced metaphor. TPPA is a demonstration of economic power of
the Washington Consensus where its key institutions such as International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank do play important roles in asserting the
US dominance in global arena. US Secretary of Treasury, Jacob Lew in his
testimony to House Financial Services Committee last year
<https://www.rt.com/usa/241681-treasury-chief-imf-reform/> attested:

Our investments in these institutions promote our strategic interests and
international stability. Every dollar of our participation leverages four
more from other member countries.

The remark was made in light of new developments pursued by rising
superpowers as Russia and China that spearheaded many new international
institutions like New Development Bank (formerly known as BRICS Development
Back) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for which many of US
traditional allies like
<http://ec.europa.eu/epsc/publications/notes/sn1_en.htm> European countries
have expressed their interest to join.

TPPA is also another attempt by the US to revive the failure of World Trade
Organization (WTO)  another Washington-led multilateral trade
liberalization platform  in a more regional scale. TPPA is meant for the
emerging markets of Asia-Pacific while another similar regional and
multilateral trade agreement like the Transatlantic Trade and Investment
Partnership (TTIP) is designed specifically for the European Union. The US
is also in the midst of concluding the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA)
with the burgeoning services market across the world.

At face value, TPPA, TTIP and TISA may be viewed as multilateral trade
platforms where everybody seems to be on equal footings. But if we were to
dig deeper, all of the trade agreements are actually in essence bilateral
agreements, in the garb of a multilateralism, where the US has a huge
strategic advantage and hegemonic interest to maintain its dominance in the
international arena of the political economy.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn2> [2]

Currency as the hallmark of empire

Before we can understand the unequal relationship between the US and its
trading partners, it is incumbent upon us to know what kind of role does the
US actually plays in the contemporary international order.

The US is for sure not an ordinary nation-state.

Its Tocquevillian special character of
<http://nationalinterest.org/feature/america-fated-lead-11901> American
exceptionalism has not only shaped the American worldview but also greatly
influenced its behavior as a world leader especially after demonstrating its
prowess in helping the Allies win the war against Nazi Germany.

The US shaped and greatly influenced the post-World War II world order
through its custodianship of many major international political, financial,
monetary and economic institutions that were established after the retreat
of European imperialism from the South.

Like an ordinary empire or hegemon in history, it sustains its power not
only through military might but also through economic power. Just as Britain
before it maintained its political dominance through trade, the US is doing
so too.  This is reflected in the three sets of agreements mentioned earlier
(although different in name they all share the same nomenclature of
trade).

One of the most important indicators of the strength of an empire is its
currency. Britain that once ruled the waves was also the one to create
burgeoning sterling areas within its dominions, colonies and protectorates
that spanned across the globe, especially during the long period of the 19th
century.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn3> [3]

Dominance in currency can only be achieved via strong balance of trade. As
Britains finance was sapped by two world wars, the US which was left
untouched geographically by the world wars (except at the Pearl Harbour
incident) was the only industrialized nation that possessed the necessary
capability and readiness back then to reshape and rebuild the post-World War
II international order.

Since then, the US had created numerous plans, initiatives, institutions and
trade blocs to promote and maintain her currency  the US Dollar  as the
leading international reserve currency not only for the central banks but
also for the use in international trade among nations.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn4> [4]

Due to these efforts the US will hardly face a balance of payment crisis
like other nations as the US purchased imports using its own currency  a
strategic advantage that is unique to the US.  For other nations, they need
to obtain the US Dollar prior, to engage in international trade as it is
largely being conducted by using US Dollar. It acts as not only the dominant
and favored medium of exchange, but also as the unit of account as well as
the store of value of internationally traded-goods and services.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn5> [5]

What made the US Dollar so popular and special for international trade?

Its stability is something inherent within the current international
monetary system where the US has the upper hand in charting its course. As
explained by Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of Federal Reserve,
<http://www.cnbc.com/id/44051683> the US has zero probability to default as
the country can always print the US Dollar. This makes the US Dollar a
robust currency that is also liquid (easily traded) hence by convention it
is a currency of choice for global economic transactions.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn6> [6]

Its a long history how the US Dollar arrived at this special position
especially via the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1944. The agreement was
enacted to stabilize the international economic system in the aftermath of
World War II, where forty-four Allied nations agreed to adopt a fixed
exchange rate regime by pegging their currencies to the gold-backed US
Dollar.

Although the Bretton Woods system was abandoned by President Nixon in 1971
which in turn made the US Dollar no longer backed by gold and floated it
like any other currencies, it still is able maintain its dominance in the
international trade and as reserve currency for the whole world.

The clout of US Dollar is so great that the former French Finance Minister,
Valéry Giscard dEstaing, called it an
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-dollars-stubborn-challenges/201
5/05/06/7a87b388-f405-11e4-bcc4-e8141e5eb0c9_story.html> exorbitant
privilege. But such privilege can only be maintained as long as the
economic actors such as the states, corporations and consumers render their
trust and constantly clamour for the US Dollar, which as we know at present
is fast being challenged by the rise of China whose currency
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-imf-sdr-rights-and-the-global-currency-mar
kets-impacts-of-the-elevation-of-the-chinese-yuan-renminbi/5493966> renminbi
is now part of IMFs Special Drawing Rights (SDR).

One of the subtle goals of TPPA is to ensure the US Dollar remain the
dominant international reserve currency
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11358316/Central-bank-prophet-
fears-QE-warfare-pushing-world-financial-system-out-of-control.html> in the
face of currency war launched by China and other global powerhouses like
Japan and the European Union.

The Global Minotaur, TPPA and the role of the US in the unipolar world order

There are two interrelated points of view based on different units of
analyses on why the US pushes for TPPA: (1) the US as a nation-state and (2)
the US as an informal empire.

Textbook knowledge on international economy will tells us that a nation must
attain its balance of payment if it wishes to be politically and
economically stable, if not prosperous. To achieve this goal, the US needs
to reduce its trade deficits in an era where China has taken a huge market
share  thanks originally to the US multinational corporations who shifted
their productions to China as part of their profit maximization strategy.

Hence it is logically sound for the US to push for TPPA to maintain their
national interest in the global economy especially in emerging markets of
Asia-Pacific where China too is competing for the market share. This is
pretty much the point of view of why the US as a nation state pursues TPPA 
a standard narrative of many economic pundits.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn7> [7]

On the other hand, the US also plays a role as
<https://www.opendemocracy.net/conflict-americanpower/article_1279.jsp> an
informal empire that governs and asserts massive influences in international
order  a fact that is rarely being discussed that is linked to the US
economy and its trade interest. Such influence can only be wielded as long
as the US maintains its economic prowess that is contingent on its global
military dominance.

The mushrooming of military bases abroad and increasing number of joint
military operations via various organizations such as the US regional
military command centers and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
require strong financial support.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn8> [8]

All of these military installments cost a lot of money where the US Dollar
has a very important role to finance these military expansions. Without
safeguarding the supremacy of the US Dollar as international reserve
currency, it is almost impossible to secure and safeguard the global
dominance of the US military.

How does the US act as an informal empire in international political
economy?

The former Greece finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis described the US as
akin to a Global Minotaur  a metaphorical creature that is half-man
half-bull from ancient Greek mythology that collected yearly human tributes
served by the people of Crete.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn9> [9]

Varoufakis made such a reference because the US too received tributes but
not in the form of human flesh but rather, the surplus capital from
developed and industrialized nations like Germany and Japan, who bought US
Treasury bills as and reinvested their surplus in the financial market of
Wall Street.

These tributes are given by these nations in order to secure good and
stable returns for their capital, which later will be ploughed into their
production and trade with other nations in the form of
<http://www.oecd.org/investment/globalforum/40728939.pdf> Foreign Direct
Investments (FDI) or Foreign Portfolio Investments (FPI).
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn10> [10]

The same mechanism also works for the US Petrodollar system where
oil-producing countries especially in the Arab world would recycle back
their oil profits obtained in the form of the US Dollar to purchase US
treasury bonds, equities, and weapons.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn11> [11]

The minotaur that Varoufakis referred to is not an abstract character that
has no economic reality. It is rather central to the US national political
and economic challenge as it actually refers to the US twin deficits in its
budget and balance of trade.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn12> [12]

It is due to this privilege of not being adversely affected by its twin
deficits that the US has been able to live in profligacy without having to
face any austerity measures  unlike other nations (a recent case is Greece)
that would need to toe their line as prescribed by IMF and World Bank.

This privilege is made possible, as Varoufakis explains, through the surplus
recycling mechanism as the US Dollar-denominated financial instruments act
as tributes which continuously feed the US Global Minotaur.  The US
recycles its surplus values in Germany and Japan, while in turn Germany
sucks out the finances of Greece without having any kind of recycling
mechanism, as austerity lowers consumption. Furthermore, the US, according
to Varoufakis, intentionally creates chaos around the world to position
itself as a safe haven for investment. This recycling mechanism made the US
pretty much insulated against political and economic repressions 
domestically and internationally  as the US Dollar-denominated financial
assets that are being recycled across the globe from the Wall Street and
back to the international market have helped to keep the twin deficits
afloat and its adverse effects at bay.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn13> [13]

This is why the US is the only country in the world that could
simultaneously be the largest debtor and also the largest creditor at the
same time!

This twin role could only be maintained without the US facing any political
and economic backlashes from the international community as long as other
nations have trust and willing to incur extra cost in facilitating their
trade using the US Dollar.

All nations in the world must always trade first with the US by selling
their products in order to obtain the US Dollar. In this lopsided system,
other nations in actual truth are subsidizing the lifestyle of conspicuous
consumption of US citizens at the expense of their own environment, health
and human rights. An exorbitant privilege indeed!
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn14> [14]

But such privilege is not merely being attained and maintained through
carrots (good and stable financial returns) but also with sticks
(coercion).

The US Dollar in truth is the monetary component of the US hard power. Those
who tried to challenge the status quo will have to bear the brunt of the US
military. The attempts by Saddam Hussein to use Euro for oil trading and
Muammar Gaddafi for using the gold dinar had cost themselves and their
countries dearly. The failures of Iraq and Libya have not deterred Russia,
China and Iran to do the same in decoupling their trade from the US Dollar.
To avoid the same fate of Saddam and Gaddaffi, these nations are well
prepared to cushion the threats as together they have worked very closely in
various platforms and initiatives with regard to politics, economic and
defensive cooperation.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn15> [15]

Trade pact is a lawfare

TPPA must not be viewed in isolation from all the above contexts. Besides
the 6,000 over pages of the agreement, there is another comprehensive and
brief declaration issued by the US Treasury that will substantiate the
writers observations earlier.

Entitled as
<https://www.treasury.gov/initiatives/Pages/joint-declaration.aspx> Joint
Declaration of the Macroeconomic Policy Authorities of Trans-Pacific
Partnership Countries (after this refers as Joint Declaration), it acts
as a crucial mini-treaty that will binds and guides all TPPA members to
remain in the ambit of the Washington Consensus by honouring and maintaining
the role of US Dollar as international reserve currency.

The Joint Declaration demands the TPPA member states to adhere to strict and
disciplined fiscal and monetary policies as stipulated by the IMF Articles
of Agreements. Such a move as explained by the US Treasury is to promote,
through transparency and dialogue, market-determined and transparent
exchange rate regimes that allow real exchange rates to adjust to reflect
underlying economic fundamentals.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn16> [16]

In short, TPPA member states must adhere to the laissez-faire economic
doctrine that has shaped the international political economy, financial and
monetary architecture erected by the US through IMF, World Bank and many
other international institutions where the US wields a strong influence
since the end of World War II.  They must trade in the Dollar.

Economic activities like international trade are subjected to the rules,
standards and agreements of these institutions. TPPA is nothing but another
legal conduit to retain the participating nations so that they will continue
to remain in the orbit of US-led international rule of law, currency and
trade.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn17> [17]

It is an indirect warning to countries like Russia, China, Iran and others
who aspire to be part of new financial and monetary architecture as proposed
by BRICS which already post some serious challenges against the reigning
ones as championed by the Anglo-American world order.

The intricacies and subtleties of
<http://sputniknews.com/us/20151008/1028223233/us-lawfare-julian-assange.htm
l> TPPA as a form of lawfare
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn18> [18] must never be
underestimated by those who aspire to be thinking of reaping the benefits
from the best of both worlds: the US-led trade pacts and the Eurasian-led
Russo-Sino trade pacts like the
<http://english.cntv.cn/2015/10/20/ARTI1445330238176219.shtml> New Silk
Road, Eurasian Economic Union and Regional Comprehensive Economic
Partnership (RCEP). By nature those two opposite trade camps are
<http://nationalinterest.org/feature/tpp-vs-rcep-america-china-battle-contro
l-pacific-trade-14021?page=2> dialectical to one another especially with
regard to their subtle geopolitical objectives that are embedded within the
deals.
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftn19> [19]

As long as emerging markets are under the clout of IMF that could enforce
its rules and standards within a treaty like TPPA, a true and genuine mutual
trade where both parties have the real freedom of choice to trade in
whatever currencies and medium of exchanges can never be materialized.

It would be very interesting to see how the global powers like Russia and
China will react to TPPA (and other similar agreements) as their cardinal
goal to revise Post-World War II international order from a unipolar system
to be a multipolar one will surely ruffles Washingtons feathers in years to
come. TPPA will be another geopolitical flashpoint in the economic,
financial and monetary domains in the great game of the worlds powers.

Notes

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref1> [1] Besides the
US, ASEAN is also being courted by other two other global powers pertaining
to cooperation of economic matters: China through its Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO); and Russia via Eurasian Economic Union. See Korybko,
Andrew, ASEAN And The New Cold War Battle For Eurasias Economic Future (I),
The Oriental Review, 14December 2015, Web. 12 Jan. 2016, <
<http://orientalreview.org/2015/12/14/asean-and-the-new-cold-war-battle-for-
eurasias-economic-future-i/>
http://orientalreview.org/2015/12/14/asean-and-the-new-cold-war-battle-for-e
urasias-economic-future-i/>

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref2> [2] Joseph
Stiglitz viewed the present free trade agreements propelled by the US as a
new strategy of discordant managed trade regime to offset the failure of
WTO. See his The New Geo-Economics, Social Europe, 11 January 2016, Web.
12 Jan. 2016, <
<http://www.socialeurope.eu/2016/01/the-new-geo-economics/?utm_source=facebo
ok&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SocialWarfare%3E>
http://www.socialeurope.eu/2016/01/the-new-geo-economics/?utm_source=faceboo
k&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SocialWarfare>

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref3> [3] See Schenk,
Catherine R., Britain and the Sterling Area: From Devaluation to
Convertibility in the 1950s, (London: Routledge, 1994); also Tomlinson, Jon,
The Empire/Commonwealth in British Economic Thinking and Policy in
Thompson, Andrew S. (ed.), Britains Experience of Empire in the Twentieth
Century, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012)

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref4> [4] The genesis
of global dollarization began in earnest after the success of Marshall Plan
in rebuilding post-War Europe. It was also intended as containment strategy
against the Soviets move to widen their sphere of influence. See Hogan,
Michael J. The Marshall Plan: America, Britain, and the Reconstruction of
Western Europe, 1947-1952, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987)

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref5> [5] For the
history of the US Dollars supremacy in 20th century, see Eichengreen, Barry
J., Exorbitant Privilege: The Rise and Fall of the Dollar and the Future of
the International Monetary System, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011)

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref6> [6] See Prasad,
Eswar, The Dollar Trap: How the US Dollar Tightened Its Grip on Global
Finance, (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014)

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref7> [7] Of course
TPPA is not limited to state-centric interest as the real drivers behind the
agreement are none other than the Multinational Corporations that constantly
lobby the US Congress to expedite the approval of the bill. See Gibson, C
Robert, and Taylor Channing. Heres How Much Corporations Paid US Senators
to Fast-track the TPP Bill, The Guardian, 27 May 2015, Web. 5 Jan. 2016, <
<http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/may/27/corporations-paid-us-senato
rs-fast-track-tpp>
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/may/27/corporations-paid-us-senator
s-fast-track-tpp>

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref8> [8] See Vine,
David, Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the
World, (New York: Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Company, 2015);
Weitsman, Patricia A, Waging War: Alliances, Coalitions, and Institutions of
Interstate Violence, (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2014)

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref9> [9] Varoufakis,
Yanis, The Global Minotaur: America, Europe and the Future of the Global
Economy, (London: Zed Books, 2015)

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref10> [10] For Marxist
analysis on the contradictions of capital accumulation, see Harvey, David,
The Enigma of Capital: And the Crises of Capitalism, (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2010)

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref11> [11] See Clark,
William R., Petrodollar Warfare: Oil, Iraq and the Future of the Dollar,
(Gabriola Island: New Society, 2006)

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref12> [12] Varoufakis,
The Global Minotaur, p22-3.

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref13> [13] Ibid.,
p115-20.

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref14> [14] See
Wallerstein, Immanuel, World-systems Analysis: An Introduction, (Durham:
Duke University Press, 2004); for in-depth studies on the historical
dependency of the North to the South in world-system framework, see Frank,
Andre G, and Barry K. Gills, (eds.), The World System: Five Hundred Years or
Five Thousand? (London: Routledge, 1993)

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref15> [15] See Viotti,
Paul R., The Dollar and National Security: The Monetary Component of Hard
Power, (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2014)

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref16> [16] See Joint
Declaration, p 1.

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref17> [17]  To
understand how the US made use of the international law of post-War era as a
conduit for a new form of economic colonialism especially in expropriating
raw materials of the newly independent nations of the South, see Pahuja,
Sundhya, Decolonising International Law: Development, Economic Growth, and
the Politics of Universality, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011)

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref18> [18] See
Kittrie, Orde F., Lawfare: Law As a Weapon of War, (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2016)

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-the-trans-pacific-partnersh
ip-agreement-tppa-a-us-imperial-strategy/5501558#_ftnref19> [19] For big
picture of geopolitical competition in economic integration see Escobar,
Pepe, Empire of Chaos preparing for more fireworks in 2016, RT.com, 24
December 2015, Web. 12 January 2016, <
<https://www.rt.com/op-edge/326965-2016-us-syria-turkey/>
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/326965-2016-us-syria-turkey/>
Wan Ahmad Fayhsal is currently a Putra Fellow at PBS. He holds a Bachelor of
Engineering (Hons) Chemical from Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP),
Malaysia. He was formerly an executive at Strategic Planning Department,
Technology & Engineering Division, PETRONAS; senior executive of Stakeholder
Management at Bumiputera Agenda Steering Unit (TERAJU) under Prime
Ministers Department and a lecturer at International Islamic College
University of Selangor. He writes extensively on various topics ranging from
philosophy, religion, history and geopolitics for mainstream news outlets.

The original source of this article is
<http://katehon.com/article/trans-pacific-partnership-agreement-tppa-world-s
ystem-analysis#_ftn5> Katehon

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