The North American Free Trade Agreement binds Canada, Mexico, and the United States together in an ambitious and far-reaching experiment in regional economic integration. As we enter the new millennium, a central concern is whether NAFTA should be amended or reformed and how it might become the foundation for a hemispheric Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). To assess these possibilities, NAFTA in the New Millennium raises key questions: . How has NAFTA performed and how has it affected the member countries? . Is there popular support for NAFTA in Canada, Mexico, and the United States? . What are the prospects for change in the foreseeable future and for the longer term? . How does NAFTA fit into the still-evolving world economy? What is its relationship to other regional integration schemes and to multilateral connections on a global scale? Prominent contributors from Canada, Mexico, and the United States examine broad dimensions of NAFTA's history, politics, economics, and outlooks for future development. They address such topics as: . The rise of "free trade" as an idea . Occupational status and perceptions of NAFTA . Immigration policy and economic integration . The need for a social development fund . Prospects for dollarization . The impact of 9/11/01 on regional and hemispheric trade negotiations. We acknowledge the contributions of the Western Centre for Economic Research and Government of Alberta Department of International and Intergovernmental Relations.

The editors, Edward J. Chambers and Peter H. Smith, are leading authorities on the political economy of regional integration. Chambers is Professor Emeritus of Marketing and Economic Analysis in the School of Business, University of Alberta and past Director of the Western Centre for Economic Research.

Edward J. Chambers' profile page

Peter Smith is Professor of Political Science, Simón Bolívar Professor of Latin American Studies, and past Director of Latin American Studies at the University of California, San Diego.

Peter H. Smith's profile page

"The controversial North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) continues to attract scholarly attention, and to yield important publications. This multifaceted book examines how it has performed, how it has affected member countries including public opinion, and how it fits into the changing global economy. It is the product of an ambitious, trilateral effort to reassess the results of NAFTA, involving scholars from Canada, Mexico, and the United States....The book will undoubtedly find a receptive audience among NAFTA specialists, especially those familiar with the methods and theories of economics and political science. Many readers will regret that the editors did not provide an index. Finally, while the collection of papers offers many important insights, the book gives little attention to broader developments in the global economy that affects prospects for NAFTA and hemispheric integration. It is at least arguable that the rapid emergence of China as a low-cost centre of global manufacturing, and the parallel rise of India as a low-cost centre for back-office operations and research, presents a serious competitive challenge to ideas that underpin NAFTA." Alfred E. Eckes, The International History Review