Debate Topic 2013-2014: U.S. economic engagement toward Cuba, Mexico, or Venezuela: Trade Agreements

Founded in 1975, the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA), a nonprofit, tax-exempt independent research and information organization, was established to promote the common interests of the hemisphere, raise the visibility of regional affairs and increase the importance of the inter-American relationship, as well as encourage the formulation of rational and constructive U.S. policies towards Latin America.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a regional agreement between the Government of Canada, the Government of the United Mexican States and the Government of the United States of America to implement a free trade area.

The NAFTA partners have created this website to provide Canadians, Americans, and Mexicans with information about how NAFTA works and the many ways in which it has improved the lives of North Americans.

The Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement, commonly called CAFTA-DR, is a free trade agreement (legally a treaty under international law, but not under US law). Originally, the agreement encompassed the United States and the Central American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and was called CAFTA. In 2004, the Dominican Republic joined the negotiations, and the agreement was renamed CAFTA-DR.The goal of the agreement is the creation of a free trade area, similar to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which currently encompasses the US, Canada, and Mexico. CAFTA-DR is also seen as a stepping stone towards the FTAA, another (more ambitious) free trade agreement that would encompass all the South American and Caribbean nations as well as those of North and Central America except Cuba.

In 2007, negotiations began for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a significantly expanded version of the agreement, encompassing a larger group of countries. The TPP is a proposed free trade agreement whose members currently include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, Mexico, and the United States. Japan has expressed its desire to become a negotiating partner, and South Korea has been officially invited to join the negotiations.The TPP is intended to be a “high-standard” agreement specifically aimed at emerging trade issues in the 21st century.

World Policy Institute, August 1, 2013

UPI, June 5, 2013

Huffington Post.com, May 29, 2013

Reuters, May 23, 2013

Hudson Institute, May 16, 2013

Cato Institute--This article appeared in the National Post on April 18, 2001.

The Economist, March 10, 2012

Bloomberg Businessweek, January 28, 2013

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, November 9, 2003

The New Yorker.com, May 26, 2008

Wall Street Journal.com, October 2, 2010

New York Times.com, October 12, 2011

A site that examines trade issues, including U.S. involvement in regional and multilateral trade negotiations (e.g. NAFTA). Available in English, Spanish or Portuguese.

A research and advocacy organization focusing on assessing the structural adjustment and international trade liberalization measure on local economies, environments, and communities in the Americas.

A U.S. “coalition for just and responsible trade policies.” Includes links to free trade documents. English.