Can Obama Save Afghanistan and Pakistan from Walmart?

President Obama is currrently deep in negotiations with national retailers and Democrats about giving duty-free access to imports from Afganistan and Pakistan to U.S.-based companies, particularly Wal-Mart.  The legislation has hit some snags, however, in part because of Wal-Mart's complaints over the "pretty onerous" labor rules.  I'll wait while you pick your jaw off the ground. 

The labor regulations are not, in fact, onerous.  They would require the U.S. to appoint an indepepndent party to monitor labor conditions at textile and apparel factories in Pakistan or Afghanistan.  They would also refuse to allow duty-free imports from factories that don’t adhere to core international labor standards, such as prohibiting forced labor and child labor and guaranteeing the right to organize a union. In other words, these regulations would provide workers their basic human rights and attempt to prevent trafficking in factories in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  The Chamber of Commerce and other business groups, however, have complained that these labor regulations are “counterproductive and unworkable new labor criteria and monitoring requirements.”

I'm sure very few of you will be surprised to hear that Wal-Mart has a long, long history of being a terrible company for workers, both those who work in their stores and those who make the products they sell.  And I'm sure even fewer will be surprised to know that the recent conflict, political turmoil, and economic toubles which have plagued Afghanistan and Pakistan have left thousands jobless and vulnerable to trafficking.  Plus, Pakistan especially has had significant child labor problems.  Without proper safeguards and protections for workers, Wal-Mart plus Pakistan sounds like a recipe for trafficking.   

So can Obama and the Democrats stand up and save Afghanistan and Pakistan from "jobs" that may be little more than forms of exploitation?  Can they strike a blanace between business interests and workers' freedom from exploitation?  Or will Pakistan be the next hotspot fo men, women and children trafficked into textiles? 

Image from latenightwallflower.com