Executive Memorandum posted October 23, 2006 by Ana Eiras, Stephen Johnson
Promote Andean Free Trade But Limit Preferences
In 2004,
the United States began negotiating free trade agreements (FTAs)
with Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. These were intended to
replace the limited, temporary preferences granted to certain South
American countries under the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug
Eradication Act (ATPDEA). Peru and Colombia have signed bilateral
trade…
WebMemo posted September 14, 2006 by Ana Eiras
Reforms for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund
Next week, when the two most important international financial
institutions, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), meet in Singapore, they will have to face two key questions.
The IMF must ask what it can do to make itself relevant in a
crisis-free world. The World Bank must ask how it can…
WebMemo posted July 24, 2006 by Ana Eiras, Stephen Johnson
Six Strategic Reasons to Support a U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement
Populist
nationalism emanating from Venezuela seeks to counter U.S.
influence in Latin America, while Chinese deal-making is
undermining the region's slow evolution towards market-based
economies. At the same time, congressional opponents of the Bush
Administration are eager to block trade agreements to hand the
President an election-year defeat. But failure to advance
U.S.-Latin American trade relations…
WebMemo posted July 12, 2006 by Ana Eiras, Stephen Johnson
Congress Should Advance U.S.-Peruvian Free Trade Ties
On April 12, the
United States and Peru concluded negotiations for the United States-Peru Trade Promotion
Agreement, a major advance in economic and security
relations between the U.S. and Latin America's fifth most populous
country. Peru's legislature has already approved the deal, and it
now awaits action in the U.S. Congress. Economically,…
Executive Memorandum posted June 13, 2006 by Stephen Johnson, Ana Eiras
Consolidate U.S.-Uruguay Trade Ties Now
Sometimes good things
come in small packages. The recently negotiated bilateral
investment treaty (BIT) with Uruguay is a case in point. Not only
would it strengthen investment and commerce between the United
States and this friendly South American nation of 3.4 million
people, but it could also help to advance…
Backgrounder posted April 17, 2006 by Ana Eiras
The Senate's Blank Check to International Financial Institutions
Supporters of the
Multilateral Debt Relief Act of 2005 (S. 1320)[1] are gearing up to
push it through the legislative process. However, S. 1320 would
effectively write a blank check to international financial
institutions (IFIs), such as the World Bank and the International
Monetary Fund, and turn a blind eye to…
Backgrounder posted January 4, 2006 by Ana Eiras
The Fiscal Burden of Government Is Undercutting U.S. Competitiveness
A competitive economy
is at the heart of a country's prosperity. Only by producing
products or services at or below world prices can countries create
wealth. The freedom to access a variety of capital
instruments, to hire and fire labor, and to keep the profits
of efforts and innovation enhances…
WebMemo posted November 14, 2005 by Ana Eiras
Unconditional Debt Relief Is a Big Mistake
As the Senate
attempts to clear its docket of unfinished bills, the
chamber's Leadership seeks to bring S. 1320, the Multilateral Debt
Relief Act of 2005, to a vote. The bill's sponsors believe
that heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs) bear too huge a debt
burden to spark growth and leave poverty behind while paying back
their multilateral…
Backgrounder posted June 2, 2005 by Brett Schaefer, Ana Eiras
A Blueprint for Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank
When Paul Wolfowitz
takes over the presidency of the World Bank this month, he will
face the challenging task of turning the World Bank into a
more transparent, more accountable, and more effective
organization. Despite its good intentions and hundreds of
billions of dollars in development assistance over five decades,
the Bretton Woods institution has failed…