Cooperation or Rivalry?

Authorities and experts in Japan and other Asian countries have expressed considerable fear that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) will create a “Fortress America” that will deliberately exclude nations of the Pacific Rim. Others argue that economic integration will provide substantial opportunity for Asia/Pacific countries and thus contribute to the dynamism of the “Pacific Century” ahead. This book explores the varying interpretations and looks at their implications for countries of the Pacific Rim. Might NAFTA provoke the formation of an economic bloc in the Asia/Pacific area? Or will economic liberalization occur on a global and multilateral scale? What are the political dimensions of these possible options and processes?Examining the interconnections such policy alternatives may have for both the Pacific Rim and Latin America, the contributors evaluate the commercial, financial, cultural, and political linkages between the regions to assess the magnitude of interests that might be affected by NAFTA or FTAA. Assessing the range of policy options available to countries involved, they seek to make an original contribution to the debate about the formation and structure of the post–Cold War world order.

"Articles study impact of inter-American economic integration on Pacific Rim countries. Examine NAFTA as well as potential effect of the yet-to-be-established Western Hemisphere Free Trade Area (WHFTA)"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57.

Shoji Nishijima is professor of economics at the Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration, Kobe University, Japan. Peter H. Smith is Simón Bolívar Professor of Latin American Studies and director of Latin American studies at the University of California at San Diego. Peter H. Smith is Simón Bolívar Professor of Latin American Studies at the University of California at San Diego. He is the editor of Drug Policy in the Americas (Westview, 1992).