Center for Global Development Latin America Trade Experts Available for Comment on CAFTA 5/27/2004
From: Andrew Stober of the Center for Global Development, 202-416-0705 or astober@cgdev.org News Advisory: Center for Global Development Latin America trade experts are available for comment on Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). This Friday, U.S. Trade Representative Zoellick will meet with counterparts from across Central America and Caribbean to sign the Central American Free Trade Agreement. The controversial agreement unites the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic in a "free" trade area. Center for Global Development president Nancy Birdsall and research fellow Kimberly Elliott are available for comment on the agreement. Birdsall, the founding president of the Center for Global Development and executive vice-president of the Inter-American Development Bank from 1993 to 1998, believes that while not making Americans richer the agreement will benefit the U.S. in more subtle ways, "By enhancing Central America's prospects for economic expansion and democratic stability, CAFTA gives the U.S. stronger partners to deal with such problems as drug trafficking, violence and terrorism, environmental and health challenges, and unregulated migration. Washington's interests are grounded in a more prosperous, stable and reliable Central America." Elliott, who serves a joint appointment with the Institute for International Economics and the Center for Global Development, believes that, "Like all trade 'real world' agreements, CAFTA is far from perfect. But, regardless of the weaknesses, if Congress rejects CAFTA that could well make things worse for countries that have only recently emerged from violent conflict and economic instability, and that face a growing competitive challenge from China and other Asian nations. That possibility deeply concerns Central American businesses, which send an average of 40 percent of their exports to the United States." Elliott is the author or coauthor of numerous books and articles on a variety of trade policy issues. Much of her work focuses on the uses of economic leverage in international negotiations. This week the Center releases her brief, "Labor Standards, Development and CAFTA" (available at http://www.cgdev.org). Her books on trade include "Can International Labor Standards Improve under Globalization?", "Corruption and the Global Economy, Reciprocity and Retaliation in US Trade Policy, and Measuring the Costs of Protection in the United States". ------ Editors: To arrange interviews with CGD experts contact Andrew Stober 202-416-0705 or astober@cgdev.org The Center for Global Development is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank dedicated to reducing global poverty and inequality through policy oriented research and engagement with the policy community and the public. |