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The Impact Of The Colombian Trade Promotion Agreement

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Although the U.S. – Colombian Trade Promotion Agreement sought to provide economic benefits to both nations involved, the Latin American organization RECALCA feared that the interests of Latin American workers would be neglected. According to RECALCA, “the FTA will not guarantee that the Colombian government supports labor rights nor can it guarantee that it won’t in fact weaken labor laws,” (RECALCA, 2007, p.3). While it is possible for labor conditions to improve, this agreement is not likely to make a significant impact in that area because such improvements are by no means a priority of said agreement. Currently in Colombia, workers are faced with various issues. For example, government employees are denied the right to collective…show more content…
While some of RECALCA’s concerns were addressed in this bilateral agreement, it is essential for these provisions to be enforced if these countries are truly concerned about the preservation of labor rights. In addition to the concerns presented by RECALCA, Robert B. Cassidy of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP warned against the potential downfalls of the deal on the American side. Cassidy’s experience negotiating a number of trade agreements over his thirty-year career in government service led him to recognize that many trade agreements aren’t always carried out as planned. There are often situations where the outcomes of a trade agreement misconstrued. The China example provided by Cassidy stresses that our expectations of an agreement can be exaggerated due to overestimated, or even false, promises presented by the agreement (Cassidy, 2009). The agreement with China promised certain benefits to the American economy; however, after passing free trade agreement and watching the effects of that agreement unfold, it become clear that China is thriving while the United States experiences minuscule improvements in exporting goods to China.
In the event that Cassidy was given the opportunity to provide his input to the United States government regarding the U.S. – Colombian Trade Promotion Agreement, it is likely that his primary message would encourage the U.S. government to reconsider the terms of the
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