TWENTY YEARS AGO— 21 IN JANUARY—AFTER YEARS OF
often-acrimonious debate, the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) took effect. The agreement over time eliminated virtually all
tariffs on trade among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Today,
based on population and gross domestic product (GDP), the NAFTA
territory is the world’s largest free-trade area, linking 450 million people
producing $17 trillion worth of goods and services annually.
Twenty years in, the effects of the accord are mixed at best. It has not
produced the depth of economic dislocation expected by its opponents,
I bring this up now because a new report prepared
by a task force sponsored by the influential Council on
Foreign Relations calls for strengthening ties among
the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The task force, chaired
by David H. Petraeus, retired U.S. army general, and
Robert B. Zoellick, former president of the World
Bank Group, is made up of some heavy-hitting gov-
ernment officials, scholars, and business executives, so it’s wise to con-
sider it a template for future foreign policy debates. The issues raised in
the report could have real and long-lasting effects on the three nations’
economies and workforces.
The report, North America: Time for a New Focus, recommends closer
collaboration among the three nations in the areas of energy, economic
competitiveness, security, and community. It urges development of a
regional energy strategy and building new pipelines (including the controversial Keystone XL), bolstering economic competitiveness through
the “free and unimpeded movement of goods” across borders, and
strengthening security through a unified continental strategy. What may
be most contentious in the current political environment is a call for
comprehensive immigration reform and creation of a “mobility accord”
to facilitate movement of workers.
I have doubts that a broad accord like the one outlined in the report is
even on the agenda in Washington. But it behooves anyone in business
to pay close attention when it does arrive.
bigpicture
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