A solid commitment to advancing trade liberalization is the best approach to ensure that America continues to reap the benefits of international commerce. It also signals that the U.S. remains committed to helping other countries to prosper.
Issues 2012 provides candidates for elected office the ability to quickly identify the key issues of the day and present clear policy recommendations, supported by facts, for addressing them. Read More.
The Obama Administration—after allowing U.S. free trade agreements (FTAs) with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama to languish unapproved for nearly four years—lately appears eager to push Congress to ratify all three soon. Read More.
Would free trade between the U.S. and South Korea be good or bad? Opponents of the proposed trade agreement between the two countries (KORUS) make frightening arguments about the agreement, claiming everything from lost jobs and U.S. sovereignty to special privileges for foreign investors. Read More.
The Heritage Foundation began ranking trade freedom around the world in 1995. The newest rankings (to appear in the 2011 Index of Economic Freedom) show global trade freedom as high as it has ever been. Read More.
The man designated as the next General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, is due at the White House on February 14. Xi’s scheduled term of office is 10 years. The last 10 years saw the Chinese economy, according to official statistics, more than quadruple in size. It… Read more
Chinese investment has become a notable factor in the world economy and will continue to be for the indefinite future. As a whole, Chinese investment is now maturing in both positive and negative senses. As investment has matured, annual growth has slowed, with growth in some markets stagnating entirely. On… Read more
On December 7, President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper released the “Beyond the Border Action Plan.” Following on a declaration issued by both nations’ leaders in February, the action plan lays out a joint vision to enhance security and accelerate the flow of people and goods between the… Read more
Negotiations for a new U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) are supposed to be finalized in July 2012. Some of its supporters argue it would have no “impact on the ability of individuals within the United States to acquire and possess firearms.”[1] Even if this is true, it is… Read more
Testimony before Energy and Environment Subcommittee, Science, Space and Technology Committee United States House December… Read more
Unlike his predecessors, President Barack Obama came into office with a head of positive steam on China, focused on the need for Chinese partnership in addressing common global challenges, such as economic recovery, the environment, and nuclear proliferation. Disappointed in these areas and challenged by Chinese military modernization… Read more
On November 11–19, President Barack Obama will embark on a critically important trip through the Pacific, beginning at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Hawaii through Australia and ending at the East Asian and U.S.–ASEAN Leaders Summit in Indonesia. He deserves credit for a symbolically powerful agenda that is crafted… Read more
It may have seemed as if the prices of rare earth elements could only rise, but they have recently dropped quite a bit. The drop—and what is behind it—is an excellent reminder of why government should not use price fluctuations as an excuse to interfere in markets. … Read more
Abstract: The 2012 rankings of trade freedom around the world indicate that trade freedom in the world has remained constant or regressed slightly since 2011. The lack of improvement is regrettable because countries with the most trade freedom have the highest per capita gross… Read more
Now that the Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has moved from the executive to the legislative branch for debate and pending passage, Members of Congress should reflect on the historic significance of their vote and its implications for advancing U.S. national interests and preserving long-term international leadership. Passage of the… Read more
International trade is the framework upon which American prosperity rests. Free trade policies have created a level of competition in today's open market that engenders continual innovation and leads to better products, better-paying jobs, new markets, and increased savings… Read more
Abstract: American statecraft has been grounded, both morally and philosophically, in the principles of human liberty and America’s sense of justice. Thus, the true consistency of American foreign policy is to be found not in its policies, which… Read more
Free trade is again under attack, despite having been, for over a century, the basis of America's wealth. Some groups in the United States blame free trade for the loss of manufacturing jobs, while others… Read more
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which the United States implemented with Canada and Mexico in 1994, has benefited Americans substantially, according to U.S. government data. It has increased exports, expanded U.S. agriculture, improved environmental standards… Read more
Monthly job numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) continue to surprise economists, this time by moving in opposite directions than usual. The rate of unemployment rose by 0.2 percentage points to 5.4 in data released today, reversing its January decline, while payroll job growth finally beat expectations with a solid increase of 262,000… Read more
Abstract: Governments and large agribusinesses are increasingly using the environmentalist movement and its policy arm of green nongovernmental organizations to justify imposing protectionist non-tariff barriers on developing countries. Wrong-headed environmental policies and “green” protectionism are contributing to a resurgence of malaria in some countries… Read more
Abstract: Americans buy a huge quantity of goods— ranging from audio-video equipment to clothing—made, or at least assembled, in China. The vast amounts involved raise the possibility of U.S. dependence on China. Heritage Foundation Asia economist Derek Scissors looked at the numbers and found… Read more
El comercio internacional es el marco dentro del cual se encuadra la prosperidad de Norteamérica. Las políticas de libre comercio han creado un nivel de competencia dentro del mercado abierto actual que origina una constante innovación y da lugar a productos de calidad superior, empleos mejor remunerados, nuevos mercados y mayor volumen de… Read more
The White House’s decision to send the pending free trade agreements (FTAs) with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea to Congress for approval is overdue but welcome news. With unemployment still above 9 percent, one can only hope that, nearly three years into office, President Obama is finally shedding his protectionist… Read more
President Obama and President of the Republic of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili recently announced that the two countries...… Read more
In his State of the Union address last month, President Obama requested that Congress pass legislation mandating a...… Read more
Clearly, the impact of President Obama’s proposal to consolidate parts of six trade agencies is tiny in comparison to...… Read more
So you think you're free? Thanks to big government spending and exploding debt, the United States -- and indeed the...… Read more
In this week's Heritage in Focus, Heritage's Kim Holmes, co-author of the annual Index of Economic Freedom, discusses...… Read more
President Obama concluded 2011 by accomplishing the remarkable feat of making the United States look worse than...… Read more
Toyota recently announced it will begin exporting U.S.-built Camry cars and Sienna minivans to South Korea from plants...… Read more
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is knee-deep in allegations that she used her influence to personally enrich...… Read more
There are quite a few reasons to be concerned about the U.N.’s pending Arms Trade Treaty. It poses a number of risks to...… Read more
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has pushed for a piece of legislation that would directly enrich her...… Read more
Senior Research Fellow in Anglo-American Relations
Director, Center for Data Analysis
Deputy Director, The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies and Director, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies
Vice President, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, and Director, The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies
Senior Policy Analyst, Economic Freedom
Senior Research Fellow, Northeast Asia
Director, Asian Studies Center
Director, Center for International Trade and Economics and the Mark A. Kolokotrones Fellow in Economic Freedom
Jay Van Andel Senior Policy Analyst in Trade Policy
Research Fellow For Economic Freedom and Growth