Recent Us Free Trade Initiatives in the Middle East: Opportunities But No Guarantees

27 Pages Posted: 8 Dec 2006

See all articles by Robert Z. Lawrence

Robert Z. Lawrence

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: December 6, 2006

Abstract

This paper evaluates the US initiative to establish a Free Trade Agreement with countries in the Middle East by signing bilateral agreements with the countries individually and then combining them into a single arrangement. These agreements present new opportunities for Arab countries, but to take full advantage, they will have to complement the agreements with additional policy measures, both individually, and together. The promise comes from the ability to use the agreements as a catalyst for improving regulatory rules and systems at home and facilitating integration with the rest of the region and the world. But the agreements also present problems for Arab countries, first in relating these US agreements to agreements with other trading partners - most importantly the EU; second in creating political difficulties associated with closer relations with the USA given problems in the region, and third, in undertaking the necessary economic and political policies that are necessary to realize the benefits.

Keywords: Economics, International Economics

Suggested Citation

Lawrence, Robert Z., Recent Us Free Trade Initiatives in the Middle East: Opportunities But No Guarantees (December 6, 2006). KSG Working Paper No. RWP06-050, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=939656 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.939656

Robert Z. Lawrence (Contact Author)

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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