Essay Regional Analysis: North American Free Trade Agreement

NAFTA renegotiations, beginning on August 16th 2017, includes digital trading on account of a rise in online sales. Digital Trading is defined as the “scale of consumer products on the internet and the supply of online services” (Lighthizer). The Digital Trading issue arose due to the fact that online sales have increased as well as the block that current tariffs that places online trading between NAFTA countries. This block occurs because a tariff is placed on imported goods. A tariff is basically a tax imposed on goods that are imported into a country, whereas duty-free means import goods are tax free (“tariff” and “duty-free”). The Canadian limit on tax free goods is the lowest in the world while the U.S has the highest (Alini). Furthermore, Mexico has a $50 duty-free threshold, Canada a $20, and the United States a $800 (Gillespie). This means that

Integration and agreements made will reduce tariffs barriers that are associated with trades of goods, services and the factors of produced goods between countries (Hill, 2004). As this paper will demonstrate a proper analysis of how integration will promote global advantages in business, and will deliberate the disadvantages and advantages of integration. Therefore touching basis of contrast and comparing the development of economic stages within a region and the effect on the process of development of business globally.

NAFTA is a comprehensive agreement designed to improve virtually all aspects of trade between the three partners.

In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was enacted between two industrial countries and a yet still developing nation. This was an agreement that was the first of its kind due to the relationship that the countries had and the investment opportunities that it presented. The United States, Canada, and developing Mexico decided to work towards eliminating most tariffs and non-tariff barriers between the three in order to increase the flow of trade in goods and services. Since its enactment NAFTA has led to the providing of over 40 million more jobs throughout the countries, and it has also tripled merchandise trade between the three participants to an astounding $946 billion USD in 2008 (NAFTA Now). However even then it is still not very clear whether enacting NAFTA was worth the time and effort and in fact the United States may have been better off not having joined NAFTA.

Since the beginning of civilization, trade has been an important issue. Christopher Columbus sailed to the Americas in search of a faster and safer trade route to India. We as Americans fought for our independence over trade related issues, such as tariffs and rules on with whom we were allowed to export and import goods. Our people have always fought for the rights and ability to buy and sell what they want at a reasonable price. The North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, is yet another attempt at this. NAFTA was signed on December 17, 1992 and put into effect on January 1, 1994 (SICE). It is a trade agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. This paper will explain all the finer points of the agreement, its

This form of regional economic integration allows each country to separately determine their external trade policies with non-member countries, making it the least integrated form of trade agreements.

When countries have needs but not the capacity to satisfy those demands they enter into trading through the exchange of surplus, produce to help their trading partners. Canada, Mexico, and the United States created a treaty to establish a relationship that can benefit everyone in this process known as NAFTA. This agreement has been criticized and has been blamed for hurting the US economy more than helping. Although speculations may be misguided, I do not know much about this agreement, and I must research multiple sources. This paper seeks to understand if NAFTA has produced significant benefits for Canada, Mexico, and the United States economies.

While on the surface it seems that a free trade area would always be a

The North American Free Trade Agreement or as its most commonly known NAFTA “is a comprehensive rules-based agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico”, that came into effect on January 1,1994. All three countries signed it in December of 1992; later on November of 1993 it was ratified by the United States congress. NAFTA was not only used in cutting down on tariffs between both countries but it also help deal with issues such as Transportation, Border Issues, and Environmental Issues between these two countries. NAFTA changed some tariffs immediately and within fifteen years other tariffs will fall to zero. NAFTA was not created to just lower tariffs it was also created to open protected sectors in agriculture, energy,

58% of Americans agree that foreign trade has been bad for the U.S. economy because cheap imports have cost wages and jobs here.

Being the world 's largest economy, the United States is also largest exporter and importer of goods and services. American economic growth relies heavily on trade. According to a recent report on NAFTA, “Since 1992, nearly 20 million new jobs have been created in the U.S., in part due to the 1994 NAFTA agreement. Total trade between the NAFTA partners -- the U.S., Canada, and Mexico -- rose from $293 billion in 1993 to more than $475 billion in 1997, and has increased since. ” (Bowman, Free Trade). It is obvious evidence that international trade is beneficial to the US economy, at least in the 1990s.

In 1994, the leaders of the thirty-four democratic countries of the Western Hemisphere launched the process of creating a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The FTAA will be established by 2010 with the aim of gradually eradicating barriers to trade and investment in the region. The final characteristics of the FTAA will be determined through negotiations by government officials from the thirty-four participating countries. The trade issues that are presently under discussion are: market access; investment; services; government procurement; dispute settlement; agriculture; intellectual property; antidumping, subsidies and countervailing duties; and competition policy. Guiding principles for these negotiations

Globalization has become one of the most influential forces in the twentieth century. International integration of world views, products, trade and ideas has caused a variety of states to blur the lines of their borders and be open to an international perspective. The merger of the Europeans Union, the ASEAN group in the Pacific and NAFTA in North America is reflective of the notion of globalized trade. The North American Free Trade Agreement was the largest free trade zone in the world at its conception and set an example for the future of liberalized trade. The North American Free Trade Agreement is coming into it's twentieth anniversary on January 1st, 2014. 1 NAFTA not only sought to enhance the trade of goods and services across

Regional integration refers to the arrangements in between two or more nations that agree to collaborate and work closely together to achieve peace, stability and wealth. Usually integration involves a written agreement that illustrates the fields of cooperation in detail. The number of regional trade agreements has increased over the last two decades.

Regional economic integration has allowed countries to concentrate on issues that pertain to their respective stages of development, in addition to encouraging trade between neighbors. There are five main stages of economic integration: Free trade area, customs union, common market, economic union and political union. Free trade areas exist as the most basic type of economic cooperation. Here, member countries remove all trade barriers but remain free to determine their own trade policies with nonmember nations. An example of this is the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Customs unions are similar to free trade zones in that they provide economic cooperation, along with the elimination of trade barriers among member countries. The primary difference from the free trade area is that trade with nonmember countries are treated in a similar fashion as trade with member countries. An example of this is The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Common markets exist to create economically integrated markets between member countries. Trade barriers are removed, in addition to any restrictions on the capital and labor movement between member countries. Similar to customs unions, there is a common trade policy with nonmember nations. The primary advantage to workers is that a visa or work permit is not required for employment in another member country of a common market. An example is the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). Economic union is created when