By Julia K. Hughes and Mara Burr
President Obama is meeting with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries in California Monday—another concrete step in his pivot to Asia.
The meeting comes on the heels of the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a historic trade agreement unprecedented in scope and geographic coverage. But those are not the only noteworthy aspects of the agreement. Trade agreements, after all, are about more than tariff reductions and market access—they provide a foundation for improving relationships between countries. And TPP in particular not only sets a new standard for global trade, but also for relationships between nations.
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