origins of NAFTA

Canada and the United States have always been economically close. Even before either nation had gained its independence, certain trade links had already been established. The ties, between the U.S and Mexico have also historically been strong, if not sometimes troubled. These links along with the emergence of the U.S as a global hegemon and economic super-power formed the base of the ground breaking 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Many arguments have been put forward as to why NAFTA emerged as it did. In order to better understand what took place, a brief historical overview is required.

While Canada and the U.S have always been close, it was not until the mid-eighties that both governments came to the conclusion that freer market access and fewer protectionist policies could be mutually beneficial. Canada, being a small economy with abundant resources, had been slowly shifting its trade focus away from internally focused Europe and U.K to the monstrous American market. Realizing that on their current path, freer access was vital; talks were initiated through a GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) framework in an effort to establish a Canada-U.S free trade agreement. T

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Together, it was believed these three nations could only benefit from the freer flow of goods and services brought about by liberalized trade practices. They oversaw implementation as well as dispute resolution stemming from misinterpretation.

4) NAFTA Secretariat:

Comprised of sections in Ottawa, Washington, and Mexico City, the secretariat administrates dispute settlement as well as providing support for committees and working groups.

2) NAFTA Co-ordinators:

The NAFTA co-ordinators were often senior trade officials responsible for any broader implementation of the agreement.

WORKS CITED:

Clement, Norris C.

Government of Canada, Government of the United States of America, and the Government of the United States of Mexico. S and Mexico were well on their way to economic integration already and NAFTA simply laid out the “rules of the game” (Clement 1999, 19), while others point to the right of center, big business oriented, and ideological similarities of the leaders of the three nations at the time.

-NAFTA Contains agreements in which individual corporations or investors can seek international litigation against a government if it contravenes NAFTA policy. S Free Trade Agreement, is composed of five sections (Fabian Global Forum). The North American Free Trade Agreement. All three are in close proximity to each other. Bucking the trend towards increased global integration and perhaps reacting to the establishment of the European Union and their inward focus, the NAFTA members took a regionalist approach.

Approximate Word count = 1197
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