Making trade personal

May is World Trade Month: a time to recognize the benefits of international trade and its impact on our everyday lives. That got me thinking about my own personal history and how it has been shaped and moulded by international trade.

My grandfather first came to Pennsylvania from England as a child refugee of WWII. At the height of the Blitz, and amid fears of an imminent German invasion, he and hundreds of other British children were packed aboard ocean-liners and shipped off to the US.  He would find his way back to the UK when he got older, but was always enamoured with the US. At the time, there were opportunities here that just didn’t exist at home. He went back and forth, earning a journalism degree from the University of Georgia and marrying and starting a family in England. Eventually, he got a US cultural visa by starting a small business (believe it or not, a British pub!) and settled in Atlanta.

I first came to the Embassy as a child, when my grandfather was awarded an MBE (an honour as Member of the British Empire) by then-Ambassador Sir Christopher Meyer for work he had done in helping expand UK trade and business in the United States. particularly in developing cities in the southeast region of the U.S. He was a founder of the British American Business Group in the Atlanta area which is still thriving today. Transatlantic commerce was always one of his passions, and he even accompanied President Jimmy Carter on a trade mission to the UK. Growing up, I spent a lot of time visiting family in England and elsewhere in Europe, and developed my own interest in international trade. I was fascinated by container ships and cargo planes and, as a child of the 90s, recall making a poster for school comparing the NAFTA positions of the 1992 Presidential candidates.

I know that if it weren’t for my grandfather’s influence, it’s unlikely I would be working on trade policy at the British Embassy in Washington. And transatlantic commerce played a large part in his story – I’m sure he wouldn’t be opposed to being called an “import!” But for Americans and Brits alike, the cultural mix that makes up who we are has always depended on trading relationships, as our loved ones seek out their own comparative advantages in brave new worlds – crafting innovative enterprises and revolutionary new ideas. Trade is at the soul of our nation: the thirteen colonies were exporting powerhouses and our Constitution arguably established the first free-trade area in the world.

The EU and US are in the midst of negotiating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, snappily called TTIP.  This deal could deepen and expand trade and make it easier to conduct business across our borders – adding about $300 billion to the transatlantic economy. And beyond the economic value, TTIP aligns cultural preferences, reinforcing our shared experiences and building on our strengths. It also sends a message to the world that our two nations value opportunity, believe that rewards should go to those willing to take smart risks, and that to play the game, you have to follow the rules.

This World Trade Month, it’s worth considering our own lives and all of the benefits that have accrued to us because those who came before us were willing to open opportunities through international commerce. The twentieth century was an economic success because those that believed in fair play and a level-playing field made the effort to set aside their differences and put rules into place that would allow the world to prosper. It’s time to take up that mantle again.

In my discussions with others interested in trade issues, I often hear that it’s hard to “personalize” trade. On the contrary, I think that if we take the time to consider how trade has affected each of our lives, we’ll realize that without the opportunities it has presented, none of us would be who we are today.