Bilateral Agreements and Fair Trade Practices: A Policy Analysis of the Colombia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (2006)
| Autor | Kevin J. Fandl |
| Cargo | Ph.D. Assistant Professor (Research Track) Fox School of Business |
| Páginas | 77-96 |
con-texto • revista de derecho y economía • n.º 42 • julio-diciembre 2014 • pp. 77-96
Bilateral Agreements
and Fair Trade Practices:
A Policy Analysis of the
Colombia-U.S. Free Trade
Agreement (2006)1
KEvin J. FAndl2
ABSTRACT
This article brings to the attention of those public servants involved in the design and
negotiation of free trade agreements between the United States and developing countries,
such as Colombia, the potential benefits and drawbacks of negotiating in a bilateral forum.
Rather than critiquing the free trade agreement for its particular provisions, this article
examines the u.s. policy of negotiating bilaterally with developing countries as opposed
to multilaterally in the world trade system and what effects such an approach might have
on the economic development of the latter. Using an incremental policy analysis, the
article critiques the bilateral approach in terms of economic development and fair trade
negotiations using the recent Colombia-u.s. trade agreement as a case study. The article
concludes that a bilateral approach that is disconnected from a broader multilateral con-
text may be detrimental to developing countries and recommends increased oversight of
such agreements by the World Trade Organization to ensure a higher degree of fairness.
Keywords: Free Trade Agreements; Economic Development; Trade; Bilateral; Multilateral.
1 This article was originally published by the Yale Journal of Human Rights and Development Law (Vol. 10 Page
64) in 2007. Cite as 10 Yale J. H.R. & Dev. L. 64 (Spring 2007). Este artículo fue publicado originalmente
por el Journal de Derechos Humanos y Desarrollo de la Universidad de Yale en 2007.
Kevin J. Fandl, Bilateral Agreements and Fair Trade Practices: A Policy Analysis of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agree-
ment, Yale Journal of Human Rights and Development Law, 10 Yale J. H.R. & Dev. L. 64 (Spring 2007).
Para citar el artículo: fandl, k. (2014). “Bilateral Agreements and Fair Trade Practices A Policy Analysis
of the Colombia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (2006)”, en Revista Con-texto, no. 42, pp. 77-96. DOI: http://
dx.doi.org/10.18601/ 01236458.n42.07
2 kevin j. fandl, J.D., Ph.D. Assistant Professor (Research Track) Fox School of Business, Temple Uni-
versity Department Legal Studies in Business. Email: kevin.fandl@temple.edu
derecho económico
internacional
78
Kevin J. Fandl
con-texto • revista de derecho y economía • n.º 42 • julio-diciembre 2014 • pp. 77-96
ACUERDOS BILATERALES Y PRÁCTICAS JUSTAS DE INTERCAMBIO
DE COMERCIO: UN ANÁLISIS AL TRATADO DE LIBRE COMERCIO
DE COLOMBIA Y ESTADOS UNIDOS (2006)
RESUMEN
Este artículo pretende ilustrar a aquellos servidores públicos que están involucrados en el
diseño y en la negociación de tratados de libre comercio entre Estados Unidos y países
en desarrollo, como es el caso de Colombia, acerca de los posibles beneficios e incon-
venientes de negociar en un foro bilateral. Aquí no se busca criticar ningún tratado, sino
examinar la política estadounidense de negociar bilateralmente con países en desarrollo
versus multilateralmente en un sistema de intercambio mundial, y los efectos que pueden
traer estas circunstancias en el desarrollo económico. Motivo por el cual el autor critica la
utilización de tratados bilaterales, caso reciente entre Colombia y Estados Unidos, por los
efectos que este tiene en el desarrollo económico del país más débil y por la poca igualdad
y justicia que existen en el momento de negociar el intercambio de bienes y servicios.
Concluye el autor que el escenario bilateral completamente desconectado de un mucho
más amplio contexto multilateral puede ir en detrimento para el desarrollo de los países y
recomienda mayor vigilancia sobre estos tratados por parte de la oMc (Organización Mun-
dial del Comercio/World Trade Organization) para asegurar un mayor grado de justicia.
Palabras clave: Tratado de Libre Comercio; Desarrollo económico; Intercambio; Bilat-
eral; Multilateral.
I. INTRODUCTION
After two years of negotiations and attempts to secure a workable agreement, Colombia
and the United States signed a bilateral trade agreement on February 27, 2006. This
was a momentous occasion for both countries as Colombia is the third largest Latin
American economy and it plays a significant role in u.s. foreign policy. The agreement
solidifies many of the trading practices that were in place since 1991 under the Andean
Trade Preferences Act (atPa), which was set to expire in December of 2006, making the
timing of this agreement ideal.
In part, the agreement represents a failure on the part of the Bush Administration
to secure a Free Trade Area of the Americas, which had been under negotiation since
19983. Instead, the u.s. chose to negotiate bilateral agreements with the four Andean
countries, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, crafting unique arrangements for the
specific demands and economic resources of each individual country.
3 See, e.g., Mario e. cararnza, Latin American Perspective: mercosur, The Free Trade Area of the Americas, and the
Future of U.S. Hegemony in Latin America, 27 Fordham Int’l L.J. 1029, 1030 (Feb. 2004).
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