Author Description

See Professor Bhala discuss the TPP in a talk at Pitt Law! Here, at last, is the first comprehensive, objective analysis of the legal, economic, and national security aspects of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). TPP Objectively is about the largest, longest free trade agreement (FTA) in human history. In careful, thoughtful prose, this 600-page book covers the most important controversies of the 6,000-page FTA, including sensitive agricultural and industrial sectors, services, intellectual property, currency manipulation, investor state dispute settlement, and labor and environmental rights. TPP Objectively is innovative, being the first to highlight the importance of women's and LGBTQ rights in the context of FTAs. The book also covers the history of TPP negotiations, from inception to conclusion, and reviews the relevant economic and national security theories, including free trade and containment, showing how they apply to specific provisions in TPP. In a world in which the debate about TPP, and international trade generally, is highly polarized, TPP Objectively is an essential resource because it is a balanced presentation. The author, renowned for his International Trade Law and Understanding Islamic Law (Sharī 'a) textbooks, spent several years studying all sides of the controversial issues, and conducted first-hand research in 11 of the 12 TPP countries, and several non-TPP countries (including India and Korea). The text is thoroughly referenced, with hundreds of citations to different sources from around the world to help readers get a clear, well-rounded understanding of TPP. TPP Objectively is written not only for specialty audiences, such as scholars, teachers, and students in international trade, international economics, and international relations, but also for general readers interested in international law and policy, including legislators and their staffs and ot