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USMCA

AMLO Goes Full Throttle Against Neoliberalism — But What About NAFTA?

December 19, 2018 By Manuel Perez-Rocha, Fpif.org , , , ,
I had the great fortune to attend the inauguration of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (or AMLO, as he is known) as the 58th Mexican president on December 1. The atmosphere at the Legislative Palace was electric with the knowledge that Mexico would be beginning its “Fourth Transformation” — following its 1810 independence, the 1855 reformation, and the 1910 revolution — with the first left-wing presidency in its history. It was AMLO’s third attempt at the office. In 2006 Felipe Calderón orchestrated a cyber fraud that gave him a slim advantage over AMLO. And in order to win in 2012, outgoing president Enrique Peña Nieto engaged in tricks like giving away cash-loaded bank cards.

An Historic Opportunity To Transform Trade When We Stop NAFTA II

December 9, 2018 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, Popular Resistance , ,
Donald Trump was right when he said that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been a disaster for the United States and promised to renegotiate it when he became president. However, the renegotiated NAFTA-2 is worse than the original NAFTA and should be rejected. The defeat of NAFTA-2 will send a message that corporate trade will never be approved by Congress and transformation of trade is needed. Trade needs to be designed to uplift workers, reduce inequality, confront climate change, improve the quality of our food and our healthcare. The defeat NAFTA II can make transforming trade a major issue in the 2020 campaign.

The Empire Will Fall: From Yemen To Tijuana, (Im)Possible Change & Re-Meet NAFTA

November 29, 2018 Eleanor Goldfield, Occupy.com , , ,
Our addiction to militarism has to end. From millions-strong protests in Yemen to carte blanche for military force at the border, our violent empire has no dimmer switch – and no self restraint. Next up, the impossible always seems so till you invoke - Planck's constant? This and other news of “impossible change.” Finally, Margaret Flowers from Popular Resistance and Trade for People and Planet sits down with us to discuss the USMCA – what you might know as NAFTA.

As Deadline Nears, New NAFTA Not Ready For Signing

November 29, 2018 Janyce McGregor, CBC News. , , ,
Three days away from the target date for all three countries to officially sign the revised North American trade agreement, Canada and the United States are still haggling over what the deal actually says. An annex on duties Canada imposes on U.S. dairy, egg and poultry products that was posted online by the Trump administration contained language that differed from what Canadian negotiators believed they'd agreed to at the table. Confronted with the discrepancy, the American side stuck to its guns. The clock is ticking down fast: Nov. 30, the intended signing date, is this Friday.

Nov. 30-Dec. 1 No NAFTA2 Days Of Action

November 9, 2018 Popular Resistance. , , , ,
On November 30, the leaders of the United States, Mexico and Canada plan to sign the renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), now called the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), during the G-20 Meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is the last date that the agreement can be signed by the outgoing right-wing Mexican President Peña Nieto before the new president takes office. Join the first No NAFTA 2 national call on Tuesday, November 13 at 9:00 pm Eastern/6:00 pm Pacific.

NAFTA 2.0 Will Help Corporations More Than Farmers

October 22, 2018 By Anthony Pahnke and Jim Goodman, Counterpunch.org , , , ,
President Trump touts NAFTA 2.0, otherwise known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, as a boon for farmers.  In theory, opening Canadian markets to more U.S. exports will help farmers by increasing demand and farm income, especially for dairy.  The reality is not so simple: Increasing demand promotes overproduction and lower prices that actually benefit the corporate processors and retailers of agricultural commodities. In comments after USMCA negotiations with Canada, Trump emphasized, “dairy was a deal breaker.”  The president continued, saying, “the deal includes a substantial increase in our farmers’ opportunities to export American wheat, poultry, eggs, and dairy — including milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, to name a few.”

No Chance Congress Will Vote On USMCA This Year

October 17, 2018 Staff, Cbc.ca , , , , ,
The free trade deal between Canada, the United States and Mexico that leaders from all three countries agreed to in principle recently is a long way away from becoming law, as the man in charge of the U.S. Senate says there's no chance lawmakers will vote on the pact before next year. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell told Bloomberg in an interview Tuesday that there's no chance the logistics can be worked out to ensure that the U.S.-Mexico-Canada-Agreement — or USMCA — will make it to the floor of either the Senate or House of Representatives before the end of the year, so it can be ratified by lawmakers. The statements come against the backdrop of U.S. midterms next month, elections that could see the Democrats take back one or both arms of the federal government.

Trump Trade Revealed – Another Rigged Corporate Deal

October 7, 2018 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, Popular Resistance , , ,
Since the Clinton era, when the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was created, global trade has been written by and for big corporations at the expense of people's health, worker's rights and the environment. Trump Trade - through the renegotiation of NAFTA - continues that approach. In some areas, people might argue the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) makes improvements over NAFTA, although many details are still being withheld. From what we do know, overall, it is a step backward for people and planet.

Family Farmers: New Trade Deal Is More Of The Same

October 4, 2018 Staff, Nffc.net , ,
National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) is disappointed that the renegotiation of the trilateral North American trade deal now known as the US-Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) has again put the financial interests of multi-national corporations ahead of family farmers, workers, and the environment. Since the inception of the original North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1991, family farmers, consumers, labor unions, indigenous people, women’s groups, environmentalists and human rights activists have pushed back against the treaty, pointing to many ways it pit workers, environmental standards, and human rights in each country against one another in a race to the bottom – and for maximum profit for international corporations. The new USMCA offers more of the same.

NAFTA Renegotiation Shows US Will Do Whatever Necessary To Continue Imperialism

October 3, 2018 Roger Jordan, Wsws.org , , , , , , ,
The United States, Canada and Mexico agreed late Sunday night to replace the quarter-century-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with a new “US-Mexico-Canada Agreement,” or USMCA. Sunday’s deal was reached after 13 months of tense negotiations and a final week punctuated by threats from Donald Trump and other top US officials that they would proceed without Canada and impose a 25 percent tariff on Canadian auto exports to the US. Under the new deal, both Mexico, a country historically oppressed by US imperialism, and Canada, a lesser imperialist power that has long been a key US ally, made significant concessions in the face of US demands that the continental pact be refashioned to make it an even more explicit US-led protectionist trade bloc.

Trump’s New NAFTA Would Drive Up Drug Prices

October 3, 2018 Mike Ludwig, Truthout.org , , , , ,
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump set himself apart from fellow Republicans and even Hillary Clinton by advancing a protectionist trade agenda and promising to renegotiate or scrap the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico. So, the president celebrated on Monday after last-minute negotiations with Canada advanced a new version of NAFTA. “It’s an amazing deal for a lot of people,” Trump said during an address at the White House. However, critics say the current draft of the $1.2 trillion deal would not completely halt the outsourcing of US jobs to Mexico, and it imperils one of Trump’s other campaign promises: reducing the price of prescription drugs for US consumers.
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