International Trade

Make a case for and against the acceptance of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which was an agreement proposed to eliminate or reduce the trade barriers among all countries in the Americas, except Cuba.

• What effects would such an agreement have on North American businesses, North American consumers, and other nations?
• Why Brazil was opposed to the FTAA?
• Aside from Cuba, which was excluded from FTAA from the beginning, and Brazil, which later came to oppose it , were there any other countries in the Americas that either abandoned the FTAA initiatives or were, like Cuba, never included at all?
• Why did FTAA negotiations fail?

Click here to watch IMF video, "IMF Outlook for Korea." After watching the video, answer these questions:

• What is the IMF's overall outlook for South Korea?
• What impact will the condition of the global economy have on the country?
• What are the domestic risks facing South Korea?
• What actions should the South Korean government take?