With the
signing of the U.S. - Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)
on May 28, 2004, between the United States and five Central
American countries - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Nicaragua, and Honduras (the United States signed a separate
agreement with the Dominican Republic in July, which will become
a part of the CAFTA Agreement), the issue of free trade
agreements has once again roared to the front. The Bush
Administration has entered into free trade agreements with eight
countries in the last six months. This represents an
unprecedented burst of bilateral trade agreements signed by any
country in the modern trade era since the conclusion of the
Kennedy Round in 1962. This article is essentially a follow-up
on our previous article of last January on free trade
agreements. (See, "Free Trade Agreement and the Bush
Administration.")
Mr. Dinan will provide regular analysis
of trade issues for allianceforeconomicjustice.com.
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