The US has never really wanted to include human rights issues in trade agreements; at best, and only when forced, US presidents have consented to incorporating labor and environmental chapters. The European Union thinks differently; in its economic cooperation and free trade agreement with Mexico, for example, it insisted on – and achieved – the inclusion of a “democracy clause” that made its economic benefits conditional on ongoing respect for democratic rule and human rights.
美国从未真正希望将人权问题纳入到贸易协定，在面对压力的时候，美国总统最多同意添加一些劳工和环境方面的要求。而欧盟的想法却差异巨大，例如在与墨西哥签订的经济和自由贸易协定中，欧盟坚持¾并最终成功写入了“民主条款”，使得对民主规则和人权的一贯尊重成为了获得经济收益的前提。