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December 20, 2007 In a Congressional briefing paper called "Standing up to NAFTA," Laura Carlsen of the Americas Program at the Center for International Policy urges U.S. politicians to recognize the link between migration and trade policy. She also encourages North American politicians to deny some of the policy demands of large corporations in the name of "competitiveness" and focus instead on protecting certain weaker sectors and the common good. "In January 2008 NAFTA enters its last stage of implementation in which all remaining tariffs on corn, beans, and other sensitive agricultural products will be eliminated," writes Carlsen. "With severely negative impacts predicted for Mexican farmers and an accumulation of social problems in all three countries, this phase obliges policymakers to finally take NAFTA to task for how it has affected the daily lives of North American citizens." This will require that the terms of NAFTA be modified, "to permit government regulation of basic food production and supply, and provide policy instruments so poor Mexican farmers are not forced to compete with subsidized large companies for their own markets," continues Carlsen. "The petition to withdraw corn and beans from the free trade agreement and support small farmers and food sovereignty is not a blow against free trade precepts but a common-sense demand for public policy that places lives and livelihoods first." Carlsen calls for the creation of a sustainable and fair trade policy that is accompanied by aid for sustainable development. The SPP represents the complete opposite of fair trade. "U.S. aid to Mexico should… compensate for damage done by NAFTA by funding new economic initiatives," writes Carlsen. "NAFTA's extension, the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) has gone off in the complete opposite direction. Instead of directing aid and programs to regions negatively affected by the agreement, it has facilitated terms for transnational corporations — the only sector of society directly represented in its negotiations. "Most recently," she continues, "the SPP process has led to Plan Mexico and a tenfold leap in proposed U.S. aid to Mexico — but for enforcement, intelligence, and military equipment. This creates a grave danger of militarizing a politically polarized Mexico and increasing the possibility of conflict. Creating healthy employment in the United States and Mexico would have a far greater impact on reducing the illegal drug trade than surveillance planes." Carlsen concludes her briefing paper by stating that a better trade policy, "would assure predictability and stable markets for U.S. producers, guarantees — not privileges — for U.S. investors, and basic rights for workers everywhere [which] will imply a more active role of governments in balancing a competitive open-market system with protection of weaker sectors and the common good. "It will also mean denying some of the demands large corporations make in the name of competitiveness," she continues. "But that's healthy. If there is one thing we've learned from the growth of inequality under NAFTA, it's that trickle down doesn't work unless you squeeze from the top. Companies must recognize responsibility for the communities whose labor and resources go to make the products they sell and the profits they reap."
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