The Bush administration’s strange approach to the international tobacco treaty

If I had a lick of sense, I’d be used to the Bush administration trying to undermine international treaties supported by our allies. After all, in just two and a half years, Bush has sent conservative U.S. delegations to world bodies such as the United Nations and World Health Organization to undercut work on children’s rights, global warming, a ban on testing nuclear weapons, and the creation of an international criminal court.

With this in mind, it shouldn’t have surprised me when the Bush administration did everything possible to block the passage and implementation of a global treaty on tobacco. Over the last three years, 171 countries, working through the World Health Organization, negotiated an agreement on curbing the spread of smoking-related illnesses. The international policy aimed to increase taxes on tobacco products to help curtail demand and place stringent restrictions on tobacco advertising.

While the tobacco treaty drew enthusiastic support from our allies around the world, the U.S. stood in the way, fighting against most of the treaty’s specific provisions, including opposition to new tobacco taxes, advertising limits, warning labels on tobacco products, and limits on cigarette sales to kids.

Judy Wilkenfeld of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, who was at the WHO meetings, told a Washington Post columnist, “We were more concerned with the rights of Philip Morris to export tobacco than with world health. We sought to weaken every position.”

Just weeks before the treaty was to be adopted around the world, the administration made its boldest move yet — it called for the WHO to reopen negotiations to allow the U.S. to introduce a “reservation clause.” Essentially, the proposal was to make every provision in the tobacco treaty voluntary. Any country could “adopt” the treaty, but then opt out of any provision, at any time, for any reason. It would take three years of work by delegations from 171 countries and turn it into little more than a suggestion about tobacco use.

There has been no secret hidden agenda at play. Tobacco companies are making billions selling a deadly product, increasing sales by marketing overseas as the number of American smokers continues to drop. The treaty could weaken the industry’s overseas sales and so the Bush White House, appreciative of the $6.4 million tobacco companies contributed to Republican candidates in 2002, fought against the effort.

Naturally, the other countries balked at the U.S. demand to gut the treaty. That’s when the most surprising thing of all happened.

The Bush administration took a u-turn and announced that it had changed its mind.

Earlier this week, the official U.S. position on the tobacco treaty was completely reversed and the Bush administration offered unconditional support for the endeavor.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced on Sunday that he would address the World Health Assembly this week to announce the administration’s change of heart.

“I’m going to support it — much to the surprise of many around the world,” Thompson said. “I’m not going to make any changes. We have no reservations. The delegation here, headed by me, is in support of the tobacco treaty.”

Our allies who had worked for years on the treaty were too happy to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Derek Yach, the WHO official who led the negotiations on the treaty, said the world was “thrilled” about the Bush administration’s reversal. “The U.S. delegation has told us they will not be obstructionist in any way,” he said.

While I, too, am thrilled about the flip-flop on the issue, I can’t quite figure out why it happened.

To be sure, I think the administration is taking the right stance at the right time. The conclusion is better late than never. But why switch? The administration has been fighting against this treaty for two years, blocking every provision to the best of its ability. At the 11th hour, the White House actually tried to rip the heart out of the treaty, going so far as to suggest the whole thing should be voluntary.

I’ve seen some argue that the dramatic, last second switch was due to pressure the administration was feeling from the media, but I don’t buy it. The media hasn’t been playing this story up at all; I suspect most Americans have probably never even heard of the tobacco treaty (or even the World Health Organization, for that matter).

Others may argue that the administration was simply doing the right thing and it’s cynical of me to question the motivations. The problem with this is that if the Bush administration was truly altruistic and interested in improving global health by stemming the tide of international tobacco sales, White House officials wouldn’t have been trying to undermine the treaty for over two years.

So what did cause the reversal? I’m stumped. Let me know if you have any ideas.