Negotiating NAFTA: A Mexican Envoy's Account

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Description

In his foreword to the book, Sidney Weintraub argues that the negotiations leading to the creation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) may be the most important between the United States and Mexico since the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago. This book examines those negotiations from the vantage point of one of the key Mexican officials, Hermann von Bertrab. As an insider, but as someone on the other side of the discussions, he provides a prospective rarely offered of contemporary American foreign and economic policymaking. Concentrating on the negotiations between the United States and Mexico, with some analysis of the Canadian component, von Bertrab characterizes the discussions as moving through four stages: an initial fast track, the detailed examination of the proposals, a stage of mobilization political support and working out side agreements, and a ratification stage. All in all, a fascinating report on a major diplomatic event and an opportunity to see ourselves as we are seen by foreign officials. Of considerable interest to scholars and researchers of contemporary American foreign and economic policymaking and Latin American Studies.

Reviews

[T]his book is a refreshing look at the United States political system, many of its key figures, and its society in general....This book is an educational and entertaining story about the people who shapee NAFTA. The author brilliantly captures the mood of the negotiations and the personalities involved. It is a very useful book for anyone involved in international negotiations of any kind because it focuses on overcoming cultural and political differences. It is also useful for historians because it helps to understand the background of an agreement which will likely shape the future of trade in all the Americas. For United States readers, this book provides an opportunity to view themselves through the eyes of their neighbors and perhaps to shed new perspectives on their system of government.-IJCM
"This book is a refreshing look at the United States political system, many of its key figures, and its society in general....This book is an educational and entertaining story about the people who shapee NAFTA. The author brilliantly captures the mood of the negotiations and the personalities involved. It is a very useful book for anyone involved in international negotiations of any kind because it focuses on overcoming cultural and political differences. It is also useful for historians because it helps to understand the background of an agreement which will likely shape the future of trade in all the Americas. For United States readers, this book provides an opportunity to view themselves through the eyes of their neighbors and perhaps to shed new perspectives on their system of government."-IJCM
"[T]his book is a refreshing look at the United States political system, many of its key figures, and its society in general....This book is an educational and entertaining story about the people who shapee NAFTA. The author brilliantly captures the mood of the negotiations and the personalities involved. It is a very useful book for anyone involved in international negotiations of any kind because it focuses on overcoming cultural and political differences. It is also useful for historians because it helps to understand the background of an agreement which will likely shape the future of trade in all the Americas. For United States readers, this book provides an opportunity to view themselves through the eyes of their neighbors and perhaps to shed new perspectives on their system of government."-IJCM

Author Bio

HERMANN von BERTRAB joined the Mexican government to assist in the NAFTA process. Prior to that he held leading positions at various Mexican financial institutions and taught economics at several universities.