“The purpose of this report is to highlight the contours of US trade strategy, as well as its prospects and implications for the SACU-US FTA negotiations. It deals with six issues. First, the report traces the historical origins of US trade policy. Second, it explains the shifts which US trade policy underwent in the 1970s and 1980s, laying the foundations for contemporary US trade strategy. Third, it
discusses American trade strategy under the present Bush administration. Fourth, it analyses the motivations of both the US and SACU for the mooted FTA negotiations. Fifth, it outlines potential negotiating options and associated consequences for SACU of the FTA negotiations, drawing on lessons learnt from the experiences of the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), the
Central American Free Trade Area (CAFTA), the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), and the US-Australia FTA. It concludes by reflecting on some future challenges stemming from the envisaged SACU-US trade deal.”
