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Across the board

This section contains news and analysis of sweeping developments that affect the overall push and pull towards FTAs and bilateral investment treaties. This means major trends relating to bilateralism, often with global consequences, and other cross-cutting issues. New developments arising from US politics, the WTO or South-South alliance-building, for instance, are often reported here as they tend to have systemic impacts.

last update: May 2012

More free trade agreements? When NAFTA failed?
21-Mar-2011     Huffington Post
With the Republicans and the Obama administration attempting to rush headlong into a new trade agreements with Korea, and possibly also with Panama and Colombia, it is incumbent on Americans to apply a bit of empiricism. How have our past trade agreements worked out? Above all, how's the grand-daddy of them all, NAFTA, doing?
Senate Republicans link nominations to sending Korea, Colombia, Panama FTAs together
15-Mar-2011    
Republican senators Monday pressed President Obama to send Congress the pending free trade deals with South Korea, Panama and Colombia at the same time, threatening to block his nominations for commerce secretary and other officials otherwise.
China in talks over Panama Canal rival
15-Feb-2011     Financial Times
China is in talks to build an alternative to the Panama Canal that would link Colombia’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts by rail – a move that Bogotá also hopes will spur Washington to push for Congressional approval of a US-Colombia free-trade pact.
US aims Latam trade accords to Congress by mid-year
15-Feb-2011     Reuters
President Barack Obama's administration aims to send stalled free trade pacts with Colombia and Panama to Congress by the middle of this year after fresh analysis of the situation in both countries, a senior US official said on Monday.
US to press South Korea, Panama, Colombia and Russian trade
9-Feb-2011     Reuters
Apart from passage of the three pending FTAs, the White House also wants Congress to remove a Cold War-era stain on relations with Russia by approving "permanent normal trade relations."
Business as usual - How free trade agreements jeopardise financial sector reform
31-Jan-2011     SOMO
In contrast with the current wide-ranging financial reform agenda in the European Union, the EU continues to liberalise a wide range of risky and non-risky financial services in the General Agreement on Trade in Services and other Free Trade Agreements as if the financial crisis never happened. This SOMO briefing paper gives specific examples on how new EU regulations are in contrast with the pre-crisis model that is still being applied in the GATS negotiations, the Cariforum-EU Economic Partnership Agreement and the EU-South Korea FTA.
US: More than 250 economists call for trade reforms to allow capital controls
31-Jan-2011     IPS
In a letter delivered January 31, more than 250 economists urged the Obama administration to reform US trade rules that restrict the use of capital controls.
Spate of trade deals move toward passage
30-Jan-2011     IPS
On the heels of US President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday in which he focused squarely on resuscitating the economy, pressure is mounting in the nation's capital to move forward with free trade agreements (FTAs) whose passage would promote exports and create jobs.
US eyes trade 'triple crown' as APEC host
7-Dec-2010     Reuters
"The 'triple crown' in 2011 is the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement passed and implemented, significant progress on the TransPacific Partnership and a very strong APEC year with a lot of concrete outcomes on trade and investment issues," said Kurt Tong, senior US official for APEC at the State Department.
US puts 'foot to the pedal' to conclude Asia trade deal, USTR Kirk says
14-Nov-2010     Bloomberg
The US is pushing to complete trade talks with nine Asia-Pacific countries by late next year that lays the groundwork for a bigger agreement that includes China, Trade Representative Ron Kirk said.