Texas A&M University School of Law Program in Global and Comparative Law hosts NAFTA 2.0: The Puzzle of North America as a Region February 28-March 1, 2019.
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which still must be approved by the respective country legislative branches, varies markedly from its predecessor, NAFTA, in its investment, environment and labor chapters, and treatment of automotive rules of origin, financial services and regulation, dispute resolution, energy, digital trade and intellectual property. Whether approved or not, negotiating the USMCA marks a new era in North American relations and raises important questions about the future of international trade, global institutions, and regionalism. This conference will consider the NAFTA 2.0 era, not only through the specific trade provisions of the USMCA, but also from the larger puzzle of North America as a region. It will examine the North American puzzle in the context of emerging trends in international trade, shifts in geo-political and economic interests, and the growing skepticism towards globalization and international dispute settlement.
