Free Trade Agreements

&quoThe original intent of free trade agreements was to maintain policies in which governments do not discriminate against imports or interfere with exports, but do not necessarily abandon all control or taxation of these.

Some of the most popular agreements include:

However, the reality of free trade agreements, as informed by their track records, is one where deregulated markets have only generated corporate ascendancy, erosion of the common wealth and democratic governance, and a lack of public accountability.

These trends have undermined the sovereignty of nations and the economic stability of millions of workers.

Multilateral trade agreements are amongst multiple countries but typically favor the right of transnational corporations to maximize their profits.

Keywords: FTAA, NAFTA, DR-CAFTA, expropriation

Bilateral trade agreements, those between two countries, have come to the forefront due to effective mass mobilization against multilateral agreements. The shift to bilateral agreements is characterized by limited economic integration and domination by the more developed nation. Bilateral agreements typically do not address foreign subsidies which create oversaturated foreign markets and drown the development of many struggling nations.