Hemispheric Free Trade: Reality or Lost Opportunity

Abstract

With democratic reforms and the development of market economies well underway, Latin America is emerging as one of the fastest growing regions for US goods and services. The most significant outcome of the 1994 Summit of the Americas was the commitment of all freely elected leaders in the hemisphere to expand the free trade provisions outlined in the newly ratified North American Free Trade Agreement to the entire Western Hemisphere. Dubbed the Free Trade Area of the Americas, a goal was established for a negotiated agreement by 2005. President Clinton pledged full US support for this initiative. However, with the approach of the next summit in 1998, both the commitment and leadership of the United States toward expanded free trade in the hemisphere are being questioned. This paper will examine the developments affecting the realization of a hemispheric free trade area and the leadership role of the United States.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA344943

Entities

People

  • Bianca A. Warner

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • Government Procurement
  • Governments
  • Hispanics
  • Intellectual Property
  • International Relations
  • Latin America
  • Law
  • National Politics
  • Negotiations
  • New York
  • North America
  • South America
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Readers

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  • Strategic Security Studies