NAFTA at Year 12

{
  "authors": [
    "Sandra Polaski"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States",
    "South America"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Economy",
    "Trade"
  ]
}

In The Media

NAFTA at Year 12

Sandra Polaski presented testimony at a hearing on "NAFTA at Year 12", held by the US Senate Subcommittee on International Trade on Monday, September 11, 2006. Her testimony focused on the impact of NAFTA on employment and household incomes in Mexico and highlighted the links between migration, Mexican political stability and what happens to impoverished farmers in Mexico.

By Ms. Sandra Polaski

Published on Sep 13, 2006

Source: Senate International Trade Subcommittee Hearing

Sandra Polaski presented testimony at a hearing on "NAFTA at Year 12", held by the US Senate Subcommittee on International Trade on Monday, September 11, 2006. Polaski took up the issue of NAFTA's impact on employment and household incomes in Mexico, emphasizing the links between migration, Mexican political stability, and what happens to impoverished farmers in Mexico. In just over a year, Mexico and the US will confront the final and most difficult step in NAFTA implementation--elimination of all tariffs on white corn and beans, the staple crops of subsistence farmers in Mexico. Polaski argued that the United States should assist Mexico in advance with development funds for the Mexican countryside and should show flexibility in the implementation of the final tariff phase-out.

Pleae click on the links above to read Polaski's oral and written remarks.

About the Author

Ms. Sandra Polaski

Former Senior Associate, Director, Trade, Equity and Development Program

Until April 2002, Polaski served as the U.S. Secretary of State’s Special Representative for International Labor Affairs, the senior State Department official dealing with such matters.

Recent Work

Report
Brazil in the Global Economy: Measuring the Gains From Trade
- +4
  Ms. Sandra Polaski, Joaquim Bento de Souza Ferreir, Janine Berg, …
Article
One Cheer for Global Trade Talks
- Ms. Sandra Polaski

Economy Trade North America United States South America

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie China

Commentary
China Financial Markets
The Plaza Accord and Its Relevance for China
The Plaza Accord was not an externally imposed punishment of Japan but part of a broader restructuring that Japanese economists and policymakers themselves recognized was necessary. Its effects were undermined, however, when Tokyo responded to the resulting slowdown with policies that exacerbated investment, credit expansion, and the very imbalances the adjustment was intended to resolve.
Michael Pettis
Paper
Untangling the Nuclear Knot: A Constructive Agenda for Managing China’s Nuclear Relations with the United States and Its Allies
The nuclear relationship between China and the United States is increasingly shaped by widening perception gaps rather than deliberate strategic design.
Tong Zhao
Commentary
China Financial Markets
Who Paid for China’s Last Debt Cleanup, and Who Will Pay for the Next?
China’s banking crisis in the 2000s was resolved by transferring the costs to households through financial repression—a decision that recapitalized the banks while exacerbating the structural imbalances that continue to shape the Chinese economy today.
Michael Pettis
Commentary
Emissary
Trump and Xi Are Angling for Three Years of Stability
But their "principal to principal" model will only be as effective as the political strength of each leader back home.
Damien Ma
Commentary
China Sells Stability Amid American Volatility
U.S. unpredictability has allowed China to capitalize on its positioning as the “responsible great power”. Paradoxically, the more China wins the perception game, the more likely expectations will rise for Beijing to deliver not just words but to demonstrate with its deeds.
Chong Ja Ian

NAFTA at Year 12

More Work from Carnegie China

Commentary

China Financial Markets

The Plaza Accord and Its Relevance for China

The Plaza Accord was not an externally imposed punishment of Japan but part of a broader restructuring that Japanese economists and policymakers themselves recognized was necessary. Its effects were undermined, however, when Tokyo responded to the resulting slowdown with policies that exacerbated investment, credit expansion, and the very imbalances the adjustment was intended to resolve.

Michael Pettis

The nuclear missile formation passes through Tian'anmen Square during a military parade on September 3, 2025 in Beijing, China.

Paper

Untangling the Nuclear Knot: A Constructive Agenda for Managing China’s Nuclear Relations with the United States and Its Allies

The nuclear relationship between China and the United States is increasingly shaped by widening perception gaps rather than deliberate strategic design.

Tong Zhao

Commentary

China Financial Markets

Who Paid for China’s Last Debt Cleanup, and Who Will Pay for the Next?

China’s banking crisis in the 2000s was resolved by transferring the costs to households through financial repression—a decision that recapitalized the banks while exacerbating the structural imbalances that continue to shape the Chinese economy today.

Michael Pettis

Commentary

Emissary

Trump and Xi Are Angling for Three Years of Stability

But their "principal to principal" model will only be as effective as the political strength of each leader back home.

Damien Ma

Commentary

China Sells Stability Amid American Volatility

U.S. unpredictability has allowed China to capitalize on its positioning as the “responsible great power”. Paradoxically, the more China wins the perception game, the more likely expectations will rise for Beijing to deliver not just words but to demonstrate with its deeds.

Chong Ja Ian