ISDS Case Map
West Asia
In keeping with the global trend, it is free trade agreement (FTA) talks galore in the Gulf. Apart from a deal with Lebanon, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are collectively and individually negotiating FTAs with the United States, European Union and India at present.
David Hamod, president and CEO of the National US Arab Chamber of Commerce, speaks about US-Arab trade relations
The importance of trade as a vehicle that can also produce significant political effects was the focus of a Cato Institute briefing on Capitol Hill entitled "Building Foundations for Freedom, Commerce and Peace in the Middle East."
Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Bush administration has placed democratization and reform in the Middle East at the top of its agenda. While press reports have focused on political developments, another key component to the American strategy entails encouraging economic growth, modernization, and liberalization throughout the region.
Arabs attending a conference in Bahrain blasted yesterday Washington's "Big Brother" attitude in bilateral Free Trade Agreements, saying they are political tools to serve US interests rather than enhance economic prosperity in the region.
With many Arab nations going ahead with their plans to sign free-trade agreements (FTAs) with the US, trade and industry associations are projecting extraordinary growth in US exports to the Arab world in the years to come.
Though many regional free zones have been around since the early 1980's, only recently has the free zone frenzy emerged, coinciding with countries developing free trade agreements (FTA) with their neighbours and others wanting to become members of the WTO.
The first World Islamic Economic Forum yesterday called for the establishment of an Islamic common market and floated a series of initiatives to boost business cooperation amongst Muslim nations.
An assessment published by a US military research outfit.
The likelihood of forging the US-Philippines free trade agreement (FTA) largely hinges on the Philippine agricultural sector in folding into the proposal.
