:: 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

US seeks trade insurance with bilateral pacts

22-Mar-2006 FT

It's always wise to have a Plan B. As the US urges progress in the “Doha round” of trade talks, it is also chasing bilateral trade deals across east Asia.

Penn serves notice on would-be trade agreement participants

17-Mar-2006 Delta Farm Press

Notice from USDA to countries that aren't too well heeled but would like to try to negotiate a new free trade agreement with the United States: Don't bother.

Roadmap for WTO negotiations on Art. XXIV GATT

27-Feb-2006

The WTO rules for bilateral agreements, set by Art. XXIV of GATT are currently under re-negotiation in the WTO. Below is an internal informal WTO discussion paper on these negotiations. This is an invitation to discuss this paper on the Forum of this website on "bilateralism".

Ways and Means chair says US should drop lagging FTA partners

21-Feb-2006 Resource Center of the Americas

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) this week said the U.S. should drop partners in free trade agreement negotiations if talks on those agreements are not progressing.

United States planning more free-trade negotiations in 2006

24-Jan-2006 Washington File

The Bush administration hopes to initiate more free-trade agreement (FTA) negotiations in 2006, possibly with South Korea and Malaysia, US Trade Representative Rob Portman says.

Bilateral trade deals to end, predicts expert

5-Jan-2006

Country-specific trade agreements might finally give way to an integrated trade agreement or organisation, indicated Abdul Quader Shaikh, Senior Economist, United States (US) Department of Commerce at a seminar on the WTO today.

Free trade agreements: Impact on US trade and implications for US trade policy

28-Dec-2005

FTAs are now a significant U.S. trade policy tool. Their rapid emergence raises some important policy issues for the US Congress as it considers implementing legislation and monitors negotiations as part of its oversight responsibilities.

10 reasons why Latin American women oppose Bush's free trade agenda

20-Dec-2005 MADRE

Bush is branding Latin Americans' broad rejection of his trade agenda at last month's Summit of the Americas in Argentina as an attempt to "roll back the democratic process of the past two decades". What Latin Americans are actually rolling back is the US-driven economic process of the past two decades, which worsened poverty, income inequality, displacement, and cultural and environmental destruction.

Regional, bilateral trade pacts to mushroom if WTO talks fail

8-Dec-2005 The News International

Regional and bilateral agreements will proliferate further and protectionist tendencies are likely to increase if the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks in Hong Kong fail, business leaders and analysts say.

Bush reaches out to Democrats on trade

4-Dec-2005 Wall Street Journal

President Bush is starting to embrace a different political strategy for getting trade agreements through Congress: bipartisanship.

:: Across the board ::

Referenced sites

21st Century Trade Agreements: Implications for Long-Run Development Policy

#A18DoA - Global day of action to defeat free trade and investment treaties

Alianza Social Continental

ICC

Movimientos.org

Pambazuka

People over profit

Peoples Global Action

Regional/Multilateral Integration Agreements

SOMO

South Centre

Stop fast track!

ISDS Case Map