| Toward Free Trade in the Americas A Brookings Institution Press and the Organization of American States publication In the past 15 years, the nations of the Western Hemisphere have staged a remarkable revolution--in the way they trade with their neighbors. First, after decades of restrictive import policies, several countries began to liberalize their trade and investment regimes. Then, beginning a decade ago, numerous bilateral and sub-regional trade agreements were achieved, to serve as vital complements to domestic reforms and to foster trade flows among member countries. At the Second Summit of the Americas in 1998, negotiations among 34 democracies were launched to establish the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs is the chief trade advisor at the Organization of American States. Maryse Robert is a senior trade specialist with the Trade Unit of the OAS. |