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Permitting the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline should have been an easy diplomatic and economic decision for U.S. President Barack Obama.
The completed project would have shipped more than 700,000 barrels a day of Albertan oil to refineries in the Gulf Coast, generated tens of thousands of jobs for U.S. workers, and met the needs of refineries in Texas that are desperately seeking oil from Canada, a more reliable supplier than Venezuela or countries in the Middle East.
The project posed little risk to the landscape it traversed. But instead of acting on economic logic, the Obama administration caved to environmental activists in November 2011, postponing until 2013 the decision on whether to allow the pipeline.
Obama’s choice marked a triumph of campaign posturing over pragmatism and diplomacy, and it brought U.S.-Canadian relations to their lowest point in decades. It was hardly the first time that the administration has fumbled issues with Ottawa.
Although relations have been civil, they have rarely been productive. Whether on trade, the environment, or Canada’s shared contribution in places such as Afghanistan, time and again the United States has jilted its northern neighbor.
If the pattern of neglect continues, Ottawa will get less interested in cooperating with Washington. Already, Canada has reacted by turning elsewhere -- namely, toward Asia -- for more reliable economic partners..
Economically, Canada and the United States are joined at the hip. Each country is the other’s number-one trading partner -- in 2011, the two-way trade in goods and services totaled $681 billion, more than U.S. trade with Mexico or China -- and trade with Canada supports more than eight million U.S. jobs. Yet the Obama administration has recently jeopardized this important relationship. It failed to combat the Buy American provision in Congress’ stimulus bill, which inefficiently excluded Canadian participation in infrastructure spending.
What’s more, by engaging in protectionism, Washington has violated the substance and spirit of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the trade bloc formed in 1994 among Canada, the United States, and Mexico. As a result, NAFTA, which was initially intended as a template for broader trade expansion by all three partners, has languished while each country has negotiated a spaghetti bowl of bilateral trade agreements with other countries.
After years of procrastination, Canada finally secured an agreement for a new Detroit-Windsor bridge -- over which 25 percent of trade between Canada and the United States crosses -- but only after it offered to cover all of the initial costs. The U.S. share is to be repaid over time by the tolls collected, but any shortfalls will rest with Canadian taxpayers. Canada was essentially forced to hold negotiations with Michigan; the U.S. federal government observed quietly from the sidelines.
The United States’ mistreatment of Canada extends beyond economic issues. Washington has also failed to trust and respect its loyal ally. To name one small but telling example, when Canada ran for a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council in 2010, the United States offered little support. For whatever reason, Portugal was a more compelling choice.
source: How Obama Lost Canada | Foreign Affairs
Permitting the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline should have been an easy diplomatic and economic decision for U.S. President Barack Obama.
The completed project would have shipped more than 700,000 barrels a day of Albertan oil to refineries in the Gulf Coast, generated tens of thousands of jobs for U.S. workers, and met the needs of refineries in Texas that are desperately seeking oil from Canada, a more reliable supplier than Venezuela or countries in the Middle East.
The project posed little risk to the landscape it traversed. But instead of acting on economic logic, the Obama administration caved to environmental activists in November 2011, postponing until 2013 the decision on whether to allow the pipeline.
What a load of nonsense. But, it's the GOP spin of the whole story, so it must be true...right?
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If the pattern of neglect continues, Ottawa will get less interested in cooperating with Washington. Already, Canada has reacted by turning elsewhere -- namely, toward Asia -- for more reliable economic partners..
Canada has been developing trade and other relations with Asia (particularly China) for a couple of decades now. I guess Obama caused that while he was a community organizer in Chicago.
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It failed to combat the Buy American provision in Congress’ stimulus bill, which inefficiently excluded Canadian participation in infrastructure spending.
Heaven forbid! We can't have a President of the UNITED STATES promoting jobs for UNITED STATES CITIZENS...can we?
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What’s more, by engaging in protectionism, Washington has violated the substance and spirit of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the trade bloc formed in 1994 among Canada, the United States, and Mexico. As a result, NAFTA, which was initially intended as a template for broader trade expansion by all three partners, has languished while each country has negotiated a spaghetti bowl of bilateral trade agreements with other countries.
Darn! We know that's a bad thing because NAFTA has been sooooooo good for us, hasn't it?
Poor Obama. Can't he see how much better off we'd be if the followed the same pro-globalist, trans-national corporate policies Clinton and Bush did?
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After years of procrastination, Canada finally secured an agreement for a new Detroit-Windsor bridge -- over which 25 percent of trade between Canada and the United States crosses -- but only after it offered to cover all of the initial costs. The U.S. share is to be repaid over time by the tolls collected, but any shortfalls will rest with Canadian taxpayers. Canada was essentially forced to hold negotiations with Michigan; the U.S. federal government observed quietly from the sidelines.
Sounds like we got a pretty good deal out of it. Maybe the author would be happier if the US just paid for the whole thing with more borrowed money.
Let's see who the authors are. Whoa! What a surprise...globalist's to the core:
And "Foreign Affairs?" Well, naturally, it's published by the Council of Foreign Relations. I don't know how everyone else feels about it, but the COFR is against Obama, that's just one more good reason to support him.
Well this sucks so now Mitt Romeny is looking good because 4 more years of not paying any attention to your number 1 trading partner and flip floing on Oil from ttoally hating it to pushing for it to be drilled offshore in alska when he had but a hold on drilling up there and pushed back projects.
Obama messed up he lost the unions by not approving keystone XL and he lost the green voters by building a section of the XL and now with him pushing for offshore drilling in Alsaka he lost their vote.
Well one thing about NAFTA the jobs did not come up here in fact they left in droves for us also.
All in all America should be dealing with friends and family first...But for some strange reason they would rather deal with Saudi Arabia--and give them money- give money to a nation that facilitated the attacks on the Twin Towers..That in effect an attack that was financed by American oil payments to the Saudis- Indirect as it may seem- but it was originally American money that paid for the flying lessons- the hotels and motels of the hyjackers...so why the hell would you continue to deal with and enrich your enemy SAUDI ARABIA hates the west- they hate America.
Here in CANADA...we are your brothers- we are part of the family- For God's sake- we are your friends and may have the odd cruel comment- but we would never bring harm to you....
This pipe line should have been built- with the finest design and material...a safe line....It seems our oil companies are not loyal..nor are yours-It is not so much Obama- it is the corporations who would rather have more profit and feed evil than take care of family....Obama does not have the guts to get oil companies to start serving America again instead of themselves at our expense.
We need to get rid of our reserves- once they are gone we then can talk about alternate forms of energy- In the mean time lets go back to the cabin- take the rest of the excess wood from the wood pile and put it in the stove...our neighbors stove...who happens to be our brother also.
The President of the United State's responsibility is the best interest of the United States, not the best interest of corporate interests in Canada. I think you misunderstand that these are two separate countries, with individual interests which differ. Which side are you on? Canada's? The foreign countries who will mostly benefit from the oil shipped through the USA to southern ports for export and not use in the USA? Which is it?
Well this sucks so now Mitt Romeny is looking good because 4 more years of not paying any attention to your number 1 trading partner and flip floing on Oil from ttoally hating it to pushing for it to be drilled offshore in alska when he had but a hold on drilling up there and pushed back projects.
Obama messed up he lost the unions by not approving keystone XL and he lost the green voters by building a section of the XL and now with him pushing for offshore drilling in Alsaka he lost their vote.
Well one thing about NAFTA the jobs did not come up here in fact they left in droves for us also.
ROTFLMAO, I still remember Ross Perot in that voice of his saying, "That giant sucking sound you hear..."
The President of the United State's responsibility is the best interest of the United States, not the best interest of corporate interests in Canada. I think you misunderstand that these are two separate countries, with individual interests which differ. Which side are you on? Canada's? The foreign countries who will mostly benefit from the oil shipped through the USA to southern ports for export and not use in the USA? Which is it?
There's no misunderstanding; you essentially have treated Mexico better for decades. Napolitanonuts and McCain with "those terrorists came in via Canada"; a lie to deflect that they were in your country on legal entry visas from YOUR ports of entry and giving you all the clues you needed to stop them which were summarily ignored.
We didn't hold our breath waiting for an apology and a damn good thing too because they followed that nonsense with yet another "our northern border is more dangerous" yeah right! You've got retarded idiots sitting in big chairs feeding you bullcrap which you slobber up like jello because after all; it's Canada, it's not like they're your friend, neighbour and ally.
You have been fed that socialist nonsense about Canada as standard fare for so long you've generally come to hate Canada while you ignore the fact you're even more socialistic now than we ever were and also while you get invaded with illegals and drugs from your southern border but hey that's all good 'cause they can vote, right?
Go ahead with the releasing of virulent flu virus's in our major cities to test their efficacy, testing of LSD in our institutions, drones over our airspace, hell that's all just normal stuff for friends eh?
NAFTA; your country again! Virtually forcing us (it's our way or the highway) to join in YOUR country's greed motivated mission to satisfy YOUR corporations desire to access cheaper labour with fewer legislated restrictions on production by locating OFF SHORE. Now those same off shore corporations are legally entitled to buy a presidential election.
You ban the importation of prescription drugs from Canada for those folks who were buying them cheaper than in your own country by using the logic they were all fake when in fact some of those drugs were actually manufactured in YOUR pharmaceutical facilities Good going.
You're such a bastion of fair, free trade and democracy. Feh!
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