Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Deal Reached

On Monday, the U.S. and 11 other Pacific Rim nations agreed to the largest regional trade accord in history, a potentially precedent-setting model for global commerce and worker standards that would tie together 40 percent of the world’s economy, from Canada and Chile to Japan and Australia.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership still faces months of debate in the U.S. Congress and will inject a new flashpoint into both party's presidential contests.

But the accord is a potentially legacy-making achievement for President Barack Obama and the capstone for his foreign policy “pivot” toward closer relations with fast-growing eastern Asia.