The CIFTA Enthusiasm Gap

Ted Bromund / November 01, 2010

In a “no news is news” story, The Washington Post reports that, in spite of nominal support from President Obama in April 2009, neither Senate Democrats nor the White House is enthusiastic about seeking ratification of the CIFTA treaty. That is good news.

CIFTA is the Spanish acronym for the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials. Negotiated under the auspices of the Organization of American States, it was signed by President Clinton in 1997, but it has not yet received the advice and consent of the Senate. And it appears that that is not going to change soon.

The Post story, written by Mary Beth Sheridan, is heavily slanted in favor of the treaty, leaving the reader with the impression that CIFTA is a sensible treaty that has unfortunately been stalled for reasons of domestic politics—specifically, the Senate race in Nevada. Undeniably, domestic politics have shaped the ratification process: that is how things work in a democracy. But most of the Post’s claims, and those of the treaty’s supporters, are seriously flawed. (more…)