The First Decade Of Nafta The Future Of Free Trade In North America

This volume provides practitioners, academics and students with the first definitive coverage of NAFTA investment arbitration. Given the level of foreign direct investment within the NAFTA countries, the issue of redress for states in investment cases is a major one. The state dispute settlement mechanisms within NAFTAs Chapter Eleven are recognized as a model worthy of close examination. The experts and scholars who have contributed to this work present a comprehensive overview of the first ten years of practice in the area of investment disputes under the NAFTA provision. As in any nascent undertaking, the successes, failures and controversies that have been the experience of the state parties involved in NAFTA, are keenly reflected in the Chapter 11 cases. It is in these experiences, as described by in the chapters of this timely volume, that the readers will find substantive and procedural insights into an emerging new area of public international economic law. Many see the workings of the NAFTA agreement, particularly Chapter 11, as a Rorschach test for how state parties can approach and effectively adjudicate investment disputes. For this reason all practitioners and scholars concerned with international trade and foreign direct investment issues should consult this book. Published under the Transnational Publishers imprint.

When it came into force in 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) joined the economic futures of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with systematic rules governing trade and investment, dispute resolution, and economic relations. However, economic integration among the three countries extends considerably beyond trade and investment. The NAFTA agreement takes a very narrow view of integration, barely addressing such vital issues as immigration policy and labor markets, the energy sector, environmental protection, and law enforcement. The governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States now must confront the question of whether NAFTA is enough. Do they want to keep their trilateral relationship focused on economic matters or are they interested in integrating more deeply—perhaps initiating a process to build a North American Community similar to the European Union? This volume contains thoughtful discussions about the future of North America by knowledgeable experts from each of the three countries. Robert Pastor has written one of the more comprehensive books on the subject, Toward a North American Community (Institute for International Economics, 2001). Andrés Rozental is an ambassador at large for Mexico and president of Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internationacionales, the country's leading foreign policy association in Mexico. Perrin Beatty is a former foreign minister of Canada and currently the president and CEO of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters. The governments of Canada, the United States, and Mexico face thorny challenges as they decide whether and how to accelerate smooth, and institutionalize the integration process. Pastor, Rozenthal, and Beatty encourage greater dialogue among the three governments and their citizens, as well as more systematic thinking among policymakers and citizens about the promise and challenges of further North American integration. This volume considers the promise and challenges of further North American integration, including: - migration, security cooperation, and cross-border commerce - the establishment of a permanent North American Court on Trade and Investment, to replace the current ad hoc tribunals -the possibility of widening NAFTA to incorporate countries in Central America and the Caribbean -collaboration in dealing with criminal drug trafficking, environmental protection, energy and water management, and transportation, communications and other infrastructure development.

The renegotiation and possible termination of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) sparked a lot of interest and concern in light of the United States’ declared objective to “rebalance the benefits” of the agreement. This edited book provides an overview of the changes brought to the NAFTA by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) or NAFTA 2.0. Grouping leading academics and experts from the three countries, the book covers the major topics in the transition from the NAFTA to the USMCA. The book also sheds light on the evolution of North American economic integration within the past three decades and reflects on the significance of the regional integration model represented by the NAFTA and now the USMCA. The book is aimed at scholars, students, officials, professionals and interested citizens concerned by the big issues surrounding North American integration and economic globalization.

"Very readable book written during height of NAFTA debate. Remains a valuable resource for discussing impact of the trade agreement in Mexico and US"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57.

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: USA, grade: 2,3, Free University of Berlin, language: English, abstract: In the wake of globalization, many countries are reducing trade barriers and tariffs, resulting in a rise of free-trade areas in which the participating countries trade freely among each other without any restrictions. The goal of these agreements is the increase of wealth in each nation's economy. To reach this goal, the USA, Canada and Mexico negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which came into effect on January, 1st 1994. It was the world's largest free-trade area with a combined population of over 360m people and a total GDP of 6$ trillion. Today, the NAFTA area comprises a 12.5$ trillion economy and a 430m strong population. For the first time, two highly industrialized, rich countries affiliated themselves with a poorer, newly industrialized country. At the time of its ratification, the agreement was extremely controversial in all three member states and opinions in political camps differed vastly. Supporters of the contract were mostly big companies and investors who were hoping that it would loosen restrictions and barriers on the capital market. Opponents of the agreement were trade unions which, especially in the United States, railed heavily against it. They feared outsourcing and massive job displacements to Mexico, a country in which labor is incredibly cheap and environment protection laws are lax or do not even exist. In Mexico, landowners were skeptical of NAFTA because they feared unfair competition with US-American farmers who are still to this day greatly subsidized by the government.

Twenty-three years ago, the North American Free Trade Agreement revolutionized trade and investment between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. We share thousands of miles of border with Canada and Mexico. They are our neighbors and our natural partners in trade and security. America's strength is closely connected to its economic well-being. When we break down trade barriers, American trade and American jobs increase. Trade is the lifeblood of [the] State of Texas. Last year in Texas, almost 1 million jobs were supported by some form of trade. Texas has been the top exporting State in the United States for 14 consecutive years. The overwhelming majority of Texas exporters are not big corporations, but 93 percent of the Texas exporters are small and medium-size businesses. In my district of Houston, over half of the economy depends on trade. Houston has one of the largest ports in the world and is the oil and gas capital of the world. Mexico is Texas' number-one exporting partner. Over 10,000 trucks a day pass the Texas-Mexico border, all involved in trade. Texas is just one of the many States that rely on NAFTA to fuel the economy. Study after study have shown that increased trade leads to increased jobs for all Americans. More jobs mean more wealth for Americans. NAFTA supports 14 million jobs in the United States, and, thanks to NAFTA, trade between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada has tripled. Nearly every industry is affected in one way or another by NAFTA. The U.S. economy relies on NAFTA.