Please discuss the following issue:

Youhave been assigned the responsibility of developing a memo to the WhiteHouse articulating your Department's position on a piece of legislationthat is currently being considered by the Senate Foreign RelationsCommittee. The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hasrequested the Administration’s views of the legislation before it sendsthe legislation to the floor for a vote. The White House has also askedfor the views of the Departments impacted by the issue. Choose one ofthese roles – State, Defense, Commerce, Homeland Security, Labor,Health and Human Services – and provide your memo to the Chairman of theSenate Foreign Relations Committee.

Your memorandum should at least 350 words but no more than 500 words in length. You should address all the issues below.

Theproposed legislation would do three things. First it would establishtariffs against imports from China and other low-wage countries in Asiaand Africa (allies like Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Taiwanwould be exempted). Supporters of this legislation claim that theflood of such imports has eroded America’s domestic manufacturing to thepoint where action needs to be taken in order to shrink theunemployment rate in this country. In so doing, government tax revenueswould increase and spending on programs like unemployment insurance andSocial Security would shrink.

Second, the legislation would require the White House to designate hightech and defense industries in which foreign investment by countriesthat are not members of NATO would be limited. Supporters of thelegislation argue that foreign investors should not be able to gaincontrol over companies essential to national defense or to America’stechnological leadership in the key industries of tomorrow.

Third, the legislation would prohibit the importation of any goods from aforeign corporation that has been found by either the Secretaries ofthe Commerce or Health and Human Services Departments to have violatedAmerican consumer safety rules. The legislation would require annualreports by the White House listing those foreign corporations.

Yourmemorandum should evaluate the short and long term effects that thislegislation is likely to have. Specifically, the memorandum shouldaddress:

1.)How might this legislation contradict previous US policy commitments under the World Trade Organization?

(see http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/agrm1_e.htm)

2.)Howmight this legislation affect US-Chinese foreign policy relations –especially with respect to efforts to get China to work with us inde-nuclearizing North Korea and to reaching a peaceful resolution of theTaiwan issue?

Theinitial required post (at least 350 words) should be supported bycourse readings using parenthetical references. More than twofollow-ups should be at least 150 words. Click here for a copy of the discussion rubric. Follow the Turabian Quick Guide style for author/date. Click on the tab in the middle of the page.