Making Free Trade Work: The Canada-U.S. Agreement (review)

Abstract

216 SAISREVIEW dispute rages about the reasons for the breakdown and the necessary solutions. The old dogma has been replaced by a lively, absorbing dialogue. Second, the articles collected here also show the tremendous scope of the changes taking place. No aspect of Soviet life lies untouched by the new dialogue—perhaps because no aspect of Soviet life was untouched by 70 years of communist rule. In this survey alone, living standards, national identity, literature, and the role of God and religion are addressed. Even foreign policy, a subject long reserved for only the ruling elite, is subject to questioning by the general public. Finally, along with the recognition of diversity comes discomfort. America's founders sought to accommodate factions through the separation of powers; Soviet leaders sought to dominate factions with tanks and ideology. But the Soviet people never became true "comrades," and the failure of totalitarianism does not necessarily mean the flowering of democratic ideals—such as tolerance- —in a society unfamiliar with the concept. Long-standing hatreds and suspicions have reemerged. The greater "openness" ofglasnost reveals these darker aspects ofthe region's psyche—anti-semitism, authoritarianism, xenophobia—and all are represented in this book. A group of Russian writers warn against "the conductors of imperial aggression, the Zionists." From Kiev comes a letter in defense of the "strict, energetic and stern" leadership of Stalin. A monolithic workers' state was clearly never possible and never achieved. Recognition of this has ignited national, ideological, religious, and political passions long contained by totalitarian power. The editors ofthis book have performed an excellent service in collecting this display of Soviet public opinion. Unfortunately, the book's inherent limitations prevent a truly authoritative look at Soviet opinion on any particular subject. A reader profoundly interested in economic reform or a reassessment of Soviet history will be distracted by the editors' frequent, often excessive, comments between articles, and will come away only partially satisfied. Instead, TAe Glasnost Papers offers a look at glasnost itself. That alone makes for good reading. MakingFree Trade Work: The Canada-U.S. Agreement. By Peter Morici, ed. New York: Council on Foreign Relations Press, 1990. 182 pp. $17.95/Paperback. Reviewed by Alexander Wood, M.A. Candidate, SAIS. It is a sad, although perhaps inevitable, fact of life that Americans, having faced a veritable media deluge in the "changes" sweeping the world over the last two years, have been largely oblivious to significant changes closer to home. Indeed, if ever a testament to the truly remarkable pace of change that has occurred on the North American continent was needed, it is to be found in a collection of essays edited by Peter Morici—Making Free Trade Work. This book analyzes the challenges facing the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Canada and the United States. It fails, however, to account for the changes that have occurred in BOOK REVIEWS 217 both Mexico and Canada's domestic situations and so makes two critical errors: the first an error of appreciation, the second an error of omission. In fairness to the authors, their collective error was perhaps in arriving at their conclusions a few months too early. In failing to anticipate the changes in the Mexican economic and Canadian political situations, however, thy have done their otherwise excellent treatment of the subject a grave disservice. Making Free Trade Work does have significant value, especially for those unfamiliar with the FTA or with the world's largest bilateral trading relationship. Especially instructive are the first two chapters, which deal with the differences in each country's approach to the Agreement. David Leyton-Brown's analysis of the "asymmetry of interest" that exists for the FTA between the two countries holds important lessons for all students of bilateral relationships. The bulk of the book, however, is devoted to what are perceived to be the two greatest challenges to the FTA: the possible extension of the agreement to Mexico and the question of subsidies. It is in discussing these challenges that the author's conclusions tend to be overcome by events. On the first issue, Sidney Weintraub does a good job of analyzing the possible implications of a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA...