ML-Implode News - NAFTA talks are a major test for Trump -- and they won't be easy

At stake is the legitimacy of President Trump, who criticized NAFTA as "the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere" and campaigned on a pledge to renegotiate it. But also on the line are trillions of dollars of trade that flow through the North American economy. As talks have approached, American farmers, ranchers, retailers and representatives of other industries have warned the administration against disrupting the pact, fearful of losing the trading advantages that NAFTA gives them.
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"There's considerable political risk in reopening these negotiations," said CÃ©cile Shea, a senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and a former diplomat. "I'm not sure that the White House, which is not filled with a lot of people with international negotiating experience, is focused on that fact that Canada and Mexico will have demands."
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In remarks Monday, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland appeared to take a tough stance as she briefly outlined Canada's main goals -- including adding new provisions to protect the environment and the rights of workers, women and indigenous people, as well as preserving a mechanism for settling disputes that some U.S. industries have opposed.
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Negotiators will also face a particularly ambitious timeline. U.S. and Mexican officials have said they would like to conclude talks before the end of the year, well before Mexico's next presidential election on July 1, 2018 -- when NAFTA could become a contentious political issue.

Chip Roh, the former deputy U.S. chief negotiator of NAFTA, said the timeline will be hard to follow, given the size of the trade agreement. "It's hard for me to see how you have a resolution that everyone can call a win-win in that time frame," Roh said.

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NAFTA talks are a major test for Trump -- and they won't be easy