Negotiating NAFTA : explaining the outcome in culture, textiles, autos, and pharmaceuticals /

Maryse (trade specialist, Organization of American States) presents an outstanding account of the negotiation process and results of NAFTA. At the time it was negotiated and ratified by Congress, NAFTA was probably the highest profile trade negotiation in the postwar era. It grabbed headlines and prime-time TV, with A1 Gore successfully defeating Ross Perot's "great sucking sound" jobs-displacement arguments in a lengthy debate. It was an initiative launched by the Bush administration and completed in the Clinton years--two very different political perspectives coming together in a shared view of what best served the common good. The impact of NAFTA, especially on the economy of Mexico, leaves one to wonder what the economic, social, and political outcomes would have been in its absence. Following a discussion of the negotiation process and its results, Maryse delves into four of the most problematic areas that had to be dealt with--culture, textiles and apparel, automobiles and parts, and pharmaceuticals. As is usually the case in trade negotiations, the level of detail is sometimes mind numbing. Yet each "Lego-block" is part of an intricate fabric that affords competitors a more level playing field and countries a tolerable degree of reciprocity. Extensive footnotes and index. Highly recommended for college and university libraries. I. Walter New York University