Which countries want to join an FTAA
and which ones don’t?
Theoretically, the FTAA is to be implemented in 2005. But don’t hold your breath. Bringing 34 economies, ranging from the largest in the world to the smallest, into one substantive agreement requires strong leadership from the US. Security concerns at home and in the Middle East combined with the economic downturn have kept US leadership focused elsewhere. This leadership vacuum is gradually being filled by an alternative proposal, led by Brazil and Argentina, to improve and expand a dysfunctional Mercosur into a South American trade agreement.