Why Politicians Lie About Trade

WHY POLITICIANS LIE ABOUT TRADE explains how international trade in goods and services actually works – and the compromises and concessions nations must make to take part in this $32 trillion-a-year jamboree: the greatest commercial show on earth.

Auteur

Dmitry Grozoubinski is a former Australian trade negotiator and Executive Director of the Geneva Trade Platform in Switzerland. He is a negotiations and trade policy expert specialising in accessibly communicating these complex worlds.He has trained hundreds of government negotiators, civil servants and corporate officers all over the world in how trade policy works, how trade agreements are negotiated and how those on the outside can shape their outcomes. He has run training courses for government officials and corporate officers across the United Kingdom, in the Netherlands, India, Argentina, and beyond.Known for his ability to explain the complexities of trade and economics accessibly, Dmitry has been extensively quoted in the media: from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, to Time Magazine and the Economist. He has appeared on TV many times and has been a frequent guest on radio and podcasts, and given evidence to multiple Parliaments on trade issues.Prior to launching his consultancy Dmitry served at the Australian Mission to the World Trade Organization, representing Australia on issues as diverse as agriculture, trade facilitation, women's economic empowerment and economic development. He led negotiations in a number of areas including on rules for developing countries, and negotiated for Australia at the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference and the 14th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development quadrennial. Dmitry built his consultancy off the back of explaining trade issues and especially the trade implications of Brexit on Twitter, where his account is perhaps the most followed of any trade expert in the world.Since being appointed the first Executive Director of the Geneva Trade Platform has helped guide the organization into a position of prominence within the trade landscape. The Platform has hosted the key policy addresses of the United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai and the Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Vladis Dombrovskis, as well as speeches by Nobel Peace Prize winners, the WTO Director-General and dozens of Ambassadors.

Résumé
'An absolute masterclass in how to communicate complex information simply and compellingly' – Ian Dunt, journalist

WHY POLITICIANS LIE ABOUT TRADE reveals how international trade really works and the compromises and deals nations must make to take part in the greatest commercial show on earth.

With clear writing and lively case studies, a former trade negotiator takes readers on an often humorous tour of the shadowy workings of the agreements, tariffs, taxes and disputes that characterise this $32 trillion-a-year machine.

Dmitry Grozoubinski reveals the underlying political and geographical forces that shape the impact of trade on topics as diverse and important as food, jobs, gender, conflict and climate change. And he reveals what politicians cover up about the system – and why it matters.

A companion to evergreen titles such as Freakonomics and How to Lie With Statistics, WHY POLITICIANS LIE ABOUT TRADE illuminates a little-understood network that runs our world.

Reviews

'I laughed more than I do in most comedies. I learned more than I do from the news. An absolute masterclass in how to communicate complex information simply and compellingly. You will come out of it far more knowledgeable than you went in, and shielded from some of the more egregious deceit politicians want to inflict on you. You'll also laugh out loud.

'The book politicians don't want you to read.'

Ian Dunt, author of How Westminster Works

'Enraging & enlightening in equal measure. And the measure is absolutely enormous.'

James O'Brien, author of How They Broke Britain

'Written by a former trade negotiator who has trained many British diplomats, this book is authoritative, yet – and here’s the strange part – actually fun to read.

'Dmitry Grozoubinski has a rare knack for explaining complex information in an accessible and light-hearted way. Two examples: “A little like municipal plumbing, trade policy is something most people prefer not to think about. It chugs along somewhere behind the scenes, safely ignored until it goes wrong.” “If you take all the romance out of it (which is easily done), a trade negotiation is a conversation between two deeply suspicious and paranoid groups as they work together to agree a binding and lasting agreement.”

'This book should be read by everyone who needs a shield from “opportunistic politicians relying on the density of the subject matter to peddle easy answers, simple narratives, and misleading twaddle”.'

Richard Baldwin, Professor of International Economics

Richard Baldwin, Professor of International Economics

Contenu
Chapter 1: I’m Sorry You Have to Care 9

Part 1: How Trade Works 19

Chapter 2: Why is Trade Policy? 21

Chapter 3: What is Trade Policy? 45

Chapter 4: Trade’s Policy Drivers 51

Chapter 5: Goods Trade 59

Chapter 6: Services Trade 85

Chapter 7: Free Trade Agreements 101

Chapter 8: Trade Negotiation Secrecy 125

Chapter 9: The World Trade Organization 133

Chapter 10: Trade Integration: Customs Unions 153

Chapter 11: Trade Integration: Regulations and Single Markets 165

Part 2: Trade and the Things You May Actually Care About 177

Chapter 12: Trade and Jobs 179

Chapter 13: Trade and National Security 195

Chapter 14: Trade and Climate Change 215

Chapter 15: Trade and Peace 239

Chapter 16: Trade and Investor State Dispute Settlement 251

Chapter 17: Trade and More 257

Conclusion 277

Index 281

Acknowledgements 297

About the Author 301