Executive Memorandum posted October 23, 2006 by Ana I. 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 promotion agreements with…
WebMemo posted September 14, 2006 by Ana I. 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 deliver
foreign aid more effectively.
Can the IMF…
WebMemo posted July 24, 2006 by Ana I. 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…
WebMemo posted July 12, 2006 by Ana I. 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, this free
trade…
Executive Memorandum posted June 13, 2006 by Stephen Johnson, Ana I. 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 economic freedom in other
parts of the continent at a…
Lecture posted April 28, 2006 by Ana I. Eiras
Women and Development: Empowerment Through Economic Freedom
It is my great honor to
speak to all of you today about the status of women around the
world. When I was asked to address the issue of how different
economic policies affect women, their families, and their
possibility to prosper, I got very excited because I think that, in
many ways, my own life experience shows how opportunity is all that
people need- women…
Backgrounder posted April 17, 2006 by Ana I. 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 their irresponsible lending
practices. It would also…
Backgrounder posted January 4, 2006 by Ana I. 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 the economy's potential for
growth and wealth creation.
For…
WebMemo posted November 14, 2005 by Ana I. 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 lenders. Their bill…
Backgrounder posted June 2, 2005 by Brett D. Schaefer, Ana I. 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 to…
Backgrounder posted April 20, 2005 by Ana I. Eiras
The Democratic Benefits of a Free Trade Agreement with CentralAmerica
Increasing economic
opportunity and strengthening homeland security are two of the
U.S. government's major goals. Advancing free trade is
essential to reaching both of these goals. Hence, the Bush
Administration and Congress should be praised for significantly
advancing free trade with Australia, Morocco, Chile, and
Singapore.
Now the United States has an…
Backgrounder posted January 11, 2005 by Ana I. Eiras
Four Reforms to Regain U.S. Leadership in Economic Freedom
If there is one thing
about America that inspires the rest of the world, it is its level
of economic freedom. Or at least it used to. According to the
just-released 2005 Index of Economic Freedom, published
jointly by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street
Journal, the United States is no longer among the world's 10
freest economies. In fact, the United States is…
Backgrounder posted July 23, 2004 by Ana I. Eiras
The United States is No Longer the Champion of Economic Freedom
We
Americans love to be champions: champions of the Olympics,
champions of democracy, champions of the world. For the most part,
we are pretty good at it. However, for the last 10 years, America
has been losing the championship of economic freedom. According to
the 2004 Index of Economic Freedom,1 published by The Heritage Foundation
and The Wall Street Journal,…
Backgrounder posted May 24, 2004 by Ana I. Eiras
Why America Needs to Support Free Trade
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 blame it for exposing some U.S. producers to foreign competition.
Free trade, however, is good for America, and for a very simple reason: It allows…