We agree with the NY Times (Game of Chicken in the Andes) that the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) has brought jobs and other real benefits to a strategic region.  Trade really is the best kind of alternative development program. 

However, shouldn’t Congress fight for the trade interests of U.S. workers, consumers, farmers, and businesses at least as carefully as it does for those in the Andes?  The pending trade promotion agreement with Colombia would lock in ATPA’s preferences, but it would also restore fairness to this relationship by opening the booming Colombian market to U.S. goods. 

ATPA also states that countries shouldn’t receive benefits if they fail to respect the rule of law, a live concern in Ecuador and Bolivia, which have shown investors a lack of respect for contracts and property in recent years.  By highlighting these concerns, Congress is defending U.S. law and U.S. workers.