Wikileaks has just published a draft of the enviromental chapter of the TPP: It's bad.

[pampango]

35. "pretty clear that the USTR will give in to just about anything in order to ink this "trade" deal"

"pretty clear" is in the eye of the beholder. The administration was not willing to accept the draft 'as is' in order to get the proposed agreement finished by its end-of-the-year deadline. I will give them credit for that.

The opposition of the other countries to tough/enforceable environmental provisions undoubtedly goes back to the beginning of these negotiations. The fact that the Obama administration has continued to support them apparently throughout the years' long negotiations is an indication that they have been serious about them.

Is there a danger that the administration will cave? While I appreciate the fact that Obama has apparently kept tough environmental provisions under discussion when others wanted the to go away, but I agree that there is a danger that they will cave in the face of this opposition. I certainly hope not. I would hope that there is also the possibility that publicly embarrassing countries that oppose them will have some effect on those countries and perhaps get them to change their opposition.