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  1. Negotiations

FTAA

Sometimes dubbed “NAFTA on steroids“, the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) was an attempt to expand NAFTA to 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere (it excluded Cuba).

From Canada to Argentina, the FTAA was strongly opposed by social movements, trade unions, NGOs and communities mobilizing against the neoliberal policies it promoted.
Governments including Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela were increasingly critical of the US agenda at the FTAA negotiations.

Finally, at the Third Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata (Argentina) in early November 2005, the FTAA was left for dead after the United States failed to overcome the staunch opposition of Venezuela and the Mercosur countries.

Since then, the FTAA agenda has remained stalled, although there was a tentative attempt in September 2008 to relaunch the initiative, retitled “Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas,” with the support of several Latin American governments.

The defeat of the FTAA was one impetus for the United States to step up its push for a Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and other far-reaching bilateral free trade and investment treaties with countries of the region.

last update: May 2012

Photo: CC BY 2.0

Leaders fail to agree on free trade talks
6-Nov-2005 AP
Leaders debating whether to revitalize talks on a free trade zone spanning the Americas ended their two-day meeting Saturday without an agreement.
Anti-US protests flare at summit
5-Nov-2005
Anti-American demonstrators torched storefronts and battled police Friday in this Atlantic resort following a large, peaceful protest, spearheaded by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, over President Bush’s plans to revive a free trade accord at a regional summit.
Anti-Bush rally closes Peoples Summit
3-Nov-2005 Prensa Latina
The 3rd Peoples’ Summit is closing Thursday its three marathonic days of searching for an alternative model to neoliberalism with a hemispheric demonstration repudiating US President George W Bush.
Clash of visions for Latin America
3-Nov-2005 Christian Science Monitor
It’s Bush vs. Chavez as 33 heads of state meet Friday for Summit of the Americas.
Does the FTAA have a future?
3-Nov-2005
The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) will become a reality only if the United States allows increased market access for Brazilian agriculture and competitive manufactures and if Brazil reciprocates by opening its market to foreign competition in goods and services.
Bush says Latam free-trade idea stalled for now
2-Nov-2005 Washington Post
"The FTAA has stalled, I agree," Bush said on Tuesday. "On the other hand, at this point in time, the Doha round really trumps the FTAA as a priority, because the Doha round not only involves our neighborhood, it involves the whole world."
The FTAA and its babies
2-Nov-2005 CKUT
From November 4-5th, 2005, the heads of state of 34 countries in the Americas will meet in Mar del Plata, Argentina, to push the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) forward. One big issue at the helm this year are the bilaterals - otherwise known as the FTAA’s babies - which establish free trade agreements on smaller scales.
Business groups lobby to resurrect FTAA
2-Nov-2005 IPS
Dozens of business groups from throughout the Americas are urging regional governments to adopt economic and trade reforms to give a boost to upcoming World Trade Organisation talks and a stalled regional free trade agreement.
FTAA talks divide Latin American countries
1-Nov-2005 Xinhua
The talks on a future Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) have divided Latin American states into different interest groups prior to the 4th Summit of the Americas to be held in Argentina on Nov. 4-5.
Chavez: Bush beats dead horse with FTAA
1-Nov-2005 Prensa Latina
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez has accused his US counterpart George W Bush of trying to restore the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which is a dead project, he asserted.