Americas


Bilateral deal-making involving governments of Latin America, the US and Canada.

last update: May 2012

Photo: rabble / CC BY-SA 2.0


Mercosur and Andean Community sign free trade pact
South America's two large trade blocs, the Mercosur and Andean Community of Nations (CAN), have signed an agreement to phase out all import tariffs over the next 15 years, with a view towards eventually creating an immense free trade zone in the region.
Latin American bishops caution against effects of free trade pacts
Citing possible harmful effects on the poor, Latin American bishops pledged to help grass-roots groups have an effective voice in free trade agreements being promoted in the Western Hemisphere.
Letter to USTR, State and Commerce on the threat to bilateral investment treaties posed by EU enlargement
Letter to USTR, State and Commerce on the threat to Bilateral Investment Treaties posed by E.U. Enlargement.
Mayan Indians take control of Chixoy Dam
Mayans take control of Dam in Guatemala and demand retribution for massacres and a stop to construction of new hydro electric dams along the river.
T&T: Parliamentary OK for trade pacts
Trinidad & Tobago's Constitution has to remove from the Executive the power to make unilateral decisions on trade and investment.
Analysis: Laser-Guided Liberalization and Latin America
While the US military unleashed laser-guided weapons of mass destruction on the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush Administration's aggressive international trade and investment agenda has developed some “smart bombs” of its own.
FTAAs/IIRSA, Plan Colombia and the Axis of Western Development
The North American Free Trade Treaty (NAFTA, Jan 1994), the Free Trade Area for the Americas (FTAAs, December 1994), Plan Colombia (1999), the Regional Integration of Infrastructure in South America (RIISA, September 2000) and the Plan Puebla Panamá (PPP, March 2001) are the building blocks of the US hegemonic policy for the Americas and the Caribbean.

Referenced sites

Trrade for People and Planet

We want trade deals to be democratic, to benefit working people and the environment. We need to revolutionize the trade model and create a new global economy...

US-Japan Business Council

USJBC has been pushing for a US-Japan FTA

US State Department Office of Bilateral Trade Affairs

The Office of Bilateral Trade Affairs ensures that the overall foreign policy goals of the U.S. Government are factored into the development of U.S. bilatera...

USTR National Trade Estimate Report

Annual assessment of obstacles to US trade interests in foreign countries