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...well I can't comment on the affect that NAFTA has had on mexican-border patrols. One of the fundamental aims of increasing trade in situations involving trade agreements of one country that is more wealthier than the other is to increase the living standards of the latter so that things like this won't happen.
Also, NAFTA is not nearly evolved as the E.U. which has expanded to become regional governance - fortress europe - with aims to protect and develop each individual member at the cost of non-european countries.
Economics-I don't like the fact that our economy is so tightly bound to other countries. It can be a domino effect. When there's an earthquake in Taiwan, our economy takes a hit because a "chip" factory is damaged. Or if Argentina can't get their inflation under control, or Japan for that matter, we suffer the consequences. We give so much foreign aid and yet our own Americans suffer. We prosecute our citizens when they fail to pay their taxes(some honestly CAN'T) yet forgive BILLIONS in debts to other countries for political purposes.
two points: yes the economy is globally tied-together, however because more markets and more people comprise the int'l economy the variation of market trends are less severe. Instead of having longer boom and bust periods, it's more balanced, boom and bust periods are shorter and not as long. This presents overall greater stability.
second point: Because organizations like the IMF setup unjust borrowing policies, the loans they gave did more harm than good. Even the World Bank's own study shows that 54 % of the people in twenty-eight borrowing countries experienced stagnating per capita income, rising poverty, and declining life expectancy. I would also like to state the the largest debtor to the UN still remains the U.S.
It seems a consistent theme among western countries is the relocation of labour to developing countries. I really don't see this as a flaw of trade agreements as more of a lack of control on transnational corporations. Companies have such a great extensive amount of resources that their power of mobility is remarkable. This, coupled with the power of soveriengty over governments allows them to move shop to anywhere in the world. As soon as one region becomes unfavorable because of newly-implemented tax laws, or whatever, they can quickly setup operations half-way across the world. When this happens public backlash occurs in the former country which can take the form of boycotts, advocacy groups to pressure governments or other forms. I don't buy Nike shoes because of the civics involved during slave labour conditions in production - i don't buy the shoes because I'm not paying 100+ for something that cost 47 cents. You have the choice as a consumer to affect these corporations, since all the goods that are produced under these conditions are sold back to the 1st world.
Alright before you read too much into what i'm saying...i'm not here to suggest any radical movements involving a take down on capitalism, i'm all for it just as much as the other guy...but one thing's for sure, the amount of money these companies have today is simply staggering. FORD is wealthier than a great number of countries in the world today.
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