By Johannes SortoCONTRIBUTOR

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) may be President Obama’s greatest success if it turns out to be a good deal. What this new free-trade agreement does is strengthen the U.S. standing in the world and our overall economy, which desperately needs help. Free trade agreements in general always help boost the overall gross domestic product (GDP) of a country.

Asia is a very large market and will continue to grow over the years. Therefore, it only makes sense for the U.S. to have a greater economic role in Asia. As of right now, the U.S. has a free-trade agreement with South Korea and benefits greatly because of it. That trade agreement should be used as a standard to compare the TPP to.

Because of the economic integration – which would be a result of the TPP – we would likely see a significant increase in economic growth. But the advantages of the TPP not only impact the U.S. economy, it also increases our influence in Asia.

Every major country that borders the Pacific Ocean is part of the TPP, including Mexico and Canada. The only country that is left out is China, a clear strategic move to keep China from controlling the Pacific. The TPP will help maintain American influence in the Pacific while keeping China in check.

However, there are drawbacks to any free-trade agreement. For the United States, we have lost a significant number of blue-collar jobs. Naturally, if we want to have a new trade agreement, then we must take this into account. Any new free trade agreement must be able to protect working-class jobs; if we do not, we may lose a crucial part to our economy.

This is a difficult balancing act that President Obama is trying to accomplish. The only way we can protect U.S. jobs and increase global trade is by having everyone involved in this debate. Congress needs to play a crucial role, the media should have thorough coverage and the American people need to stay informed.

Johannes Sorto is the president of the Hofstra University College Republicans. 

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