Earlier quoted context omitted.
What's the difference between secret and confidential (honest question!)?
Confidential negotiations are good for the negotiators, because they can make bluffs and propose compromises without the public breathing down their necks, or second guessing every move. As long as the final text is public before it's put to Congress, I'm fine with that in general. My problem with the TPP is that it pretends to be a trade agreement but is really targeted at expanding intellectual property laws. The n…
The bothersome thing about these secret treaty negotiations is that they are something of an end-run around the democratic process in effected countries. In many cases, having signed on to some agreement relating to an organization like this in the past, member countries are often under some obligation to enact legislation conforming to future trade agreements these organizations write up.