Negotiating the Free Trade Area of the Americas

The first detailed historical account of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations, this book covers the genesis of the project in the early 1990s to its demise in late 2003. It examines how the FTAA, an Inter-American policy idea, was incompatible with the predominant ideas and beliefs of Brazilian and American decision makers as to how they could and should conduct their countries' foreign trade policy in the Western Hemisphere.

"Zuleika Arashiro's book represents a substantial and original contribution to our understanding of an important outcome in the contemporary global system: the failure to negotiate the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA). The novel explanation she provides focuses on the importance of ideas and beliefs in the evolving context of international negotiations. The contribution extends beyond the case of the FTAA, offering a critical perspective that complements existing research and could be used productively in other contexts. Students of Brazilian and U.S. foreign policy should read this book." - Maxwell A. Cameron, Professor of Political Science, University of British Columbia

"The demise of the project to construct a Free Trade Area of the Americas was an important turning point in the recent history of the Western Hemisphere. It put an end to any suggestion that the United States might lead a powerful bloc based on the region. It also reinforced the trends to greater economic independence in Latin America. With Negotiating the Free Trade of the Americas? Zuleika Arashiro has done a brilliant job in analyzing this key moment. This book will become the standard text on the question and a major contribution to the international relations and political economy of this part of the world." - Dr John Minns, Director, Australian National Centre for Latin American Studies, Australian National University

ZULEIKA ARASHIRO is Research and Policy Manager in the Financial Inclusion, Research and Policy Centre at the Brotherhood of St Laurence in Melbourne, Australia.