The Making of Nafta

by Cameron, Maxwell A.; Tomlin, Brian W.

• ISBN13: 9780801487811
• ISBN10: 0801487811
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-01-01
• Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr

Summary

How exactly do countries negotiate major international agreements? Until now, reliably impartial accounts of how deals are made have been rare and usually describe only one side of a multiparty process. Here, Maxwell Cameron and Brian Tomlin provide the first full, three-country account of the negotiations surrounding the controversial North American Free Trade Agreement, which went into effect on January 1, 1994. Through extensive interviews with participants from all sides, Cameron and Tomlin develop a detailed picture of the process by which the United States, Mexico, and Canada pursued closer economic relations and of the political realities that influenced the politicians and policymakers in each country. Written in an engaging and accessible style, The Making of NAFTA is a faithful account, built on insider views, of how the representatives of the three countries prepared for, negotiated, and implemented the agreement. Cameron and Tomlin show how NAFTA was influenced by the personalities and the multiple, sometimes conflicting objectives of the individuals involved. They also explore what the negotiations can reveal more generally about the making of public policy and the importance of international negotiations.

Table of Contents

List of Tables	vii
Acknowledgments	ix
NAFTA Chronology	xi
Northern Reflections	1	(14)
Understanding International Negotiation	15	(18)
Assessing the NAFTA Bargain	33	(18)
Getting to the Table	51	(30)
Opening Rounds	81	(25)
The Dallas Jamboree	106	(20)
Heavy Slogging after Dallas	126	(25)
End Game at the Watergate	151	(28)
Another End Game	179	(29)
A Mexican Tragedy	208	(17)
Conclusions	225	(12)
Appendix A: Key Concepts	237	(2)
Appendix B: Structure and Personnel of Negotiating Teams	239	(4)
Notes	243	(10)
Bibliography	253	(6)
Index	259