Download or read book United States Bilateral Free Trade Agreements written by Mohamed Ramadan Hassanien and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Summary: Trade between the United States and the eighteen countries of the Middle East and North Africa continues to grow at a steady pace, especially with countries which have signed trade agreements with the United States.

Download or read book Trade Policy Developments in the Middle East and North Africa written by Bernard M. Hoekman and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "While very diverse in many respects, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries nevertheless also share some common characteristics, including a number of important shared challenges for policymakers."The Middle East and North Africa region has great potential for economic growth and prosperity in the 21st century. Yet, this potential will not be realized unless governments and private sector leaders in the region forge partnerships for development. An indispensable resource for all those working within the international development community, especially within the Middle East and North Africa region, Trade Policy Developments in the Middle East and North Africa offers policy and institutional alternatives to help both parties achieve that goal.This volume describes and analyzes recent trade policy developments in the Middle East and North Africa. Contributors—almost all economists from the region—review recent trends in trade performance, assess current trade and investment regimes, and discuss some of the emerging microeconomic policy challenges that confront governments and firms seeking to export and trade. Topics addressed include the need and scope for using regional integration and economic free zones as a tool of development, mobilization of non-trade tax bases, efficient enforcement of product standards to ensure health and safety of citizens, and implementation of modern information technologies to facilitate customs clearance.This book is the second in a series from the Mediterranean Development Forum, a partnership of 10 Middle East and North Africa Region think tanks and the World Bank Institute. This volume will be of interest to development specialists, policymakers, and investors.

Download or read book A US Middle East Trade Agreement written by Robert Z. Lawrence and published by Peterson Institute. This book was released on 2006 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Would a free trade agreement (FTA) between the nations of the Middle East and the United States be beneficial to both sides? Robert Lawrence provides an analysis that incorporates both economic and political considerations. He documents the scope for enhancing the trade linkages, domestic governance and regional trade of Arab countries. He evaluates the US strategy in negotiating bilateral agreements and reviews in considerable detail the specific agreements that have been negotiated so far and the challenges still to meet if a single overarching arrangement is to be implemented. Lawrence also compares the US approach with the parallel initiative being undertaken by the European Union.

Download or read book Trading for National Security United States Free Trade Agreement in the Middle East and North Africa written by Ralph Folsom and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Free trade and customs union agreements are the rage. Hundreds of bilateral and regional free trade agreements have been notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO), which in theory quot;regulatesquot; them under Article XXIV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).1 For example, free trade fever has reached such partners as Chile-China, Japan-Mexico, Canada-Costa Rica, Mexico-European Union, and New Zealand-Singapore. This contagion is a relatively recent phenomenon, one which poses systemic risk to the WTO.2Far more than elsewhere in the world, United States free trade agreements in the Middle East and North Africa pursue economic policies in a seething political cauldron. This environment has led to a distinct friend or foe approach to a region most notable for its subtleties. This article commences with an analysis of free trade with a hard-core ally, Israel. It progresses to free trade with less obvious U.S. allies, Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain and Oman. The United Arab Emirates, with which U.S. free trade negotiations are in progress, is then reviewed as a problematic case study. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and other key players in the Middle East and North Africa are woven into the analysis.Various themes permeate this article: The use by the United States of bilateral trade and investment treaties and WTO membership as prerequisites to free trade, links between U.S. free trade agreements and Middle Eastern oil and politics, the future of the Bush Administration's Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA) initiative, and the premise that national security can be enhanced and terrorism can be fought through trade. Analysis of these themes is comparative, with particular reference to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and WTO law.

Download or read book Middle East Free Trade Area written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On May 9, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed the establishment of a U.S. Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA) within a decade (by about 2013). This proposal came a year and a half after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The MEFTA was billed as part of a plan to fight terrorism -- in this case, by supporting the growth of Middle East prosperity and democracy -- through trade. On June 23, 2003 the Bush Administration described a six-step process for Middle East entities to become part of that MEFTA: (1) joining the World Trade Organization (WTO); (2) possibly participating in the Generalized System of Preferences; successively entering into (3) trade investment framework agreements (TIFAs), (4) bilateral investment treaties (BITs), and (5) free trade agreements (FTA) with the United States; and (6) participating in trade capacity building. The MEFTA would cover 20 entities in what many refer to as the Middle East/North Africa -- 16 in the Middle East: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, the Gaza Strip/West Bank, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen; and four in North Africa: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. Although U.S.-Middle East trade is small (4-5% of total U.S. trade), oil and gas are key imports, accounting for one-fourth of all oil and gas imported and more than one-tenth of all oil and gas consumed in the United States each year. Textiles and apparel are the second most important imports from these entities. The most important U.S. exports to these entities are transportation equipment and machinery. The Bush Administration's initiative aims to help diversify and improve the economies of the Middle East, provide jobs for the rapidly growing population, stimulate U.S. exports, and help Middle East countries make economic reforms -- values echoed by The 9-11 Commission Report as part of a comprehensive strategy to countering terrorism. Since the Bush Administration first announced its trade initiative, it has made substantial progress in working with MEFTA entities to support WTO membership, and to develop TIFAs, BITs, and FTAs and progress along the steps outlined above. Since the beginning of 2003: Saudi Arabia has joined the WTO, and Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, and Algeria are negotiating accession. In addition, TIFAS have been completed with seven countries: Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Qatar, and Iraq, bringing the total to 12. Other TIFA partners are Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. BITs have been completed with one country, Jordan, bringing the total to five. Other BIT partners are Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. Finally, a bilateral free trade agreement has been implemented with Jordan, Israel, Morocco, and Bahrain; signed with Oman (January 19, 2006); and is under negotiation with the United Arab Emirates. This brings the number of MEFTA FTAs to four implemented, one awaiting congressional action, and one under negotiation. FTA negotiations underway with Egypt have been suspended over human rights issues. This report will be updated as events warrant.

Download or read book U S Economic and Trade Policy in the Middle East written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Finance and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Middle East Free Trade Area written by Mary Jane Bolle and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On May 9, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed the establishment of a U.S. Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA) within a decade (by about 2013). This proposal came a year and a half after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The MEFTA was billed as part of a plan to fight terrorism in this case, by supporting the growth of Middle East prosperity and democracy through trade. On June 23, 2003 the Bush Administration described a six-step process for Middle East entities to become part of that MEFTA: (1) joining the World Trade Organization; (2) possibly participating in the Generalized System of Preferences; successively entering into (3) trade investment framework agreements (TIFAs), (4) bilateral investment treaties (BITs), and (5) free trade agreements (FTA) with the United States; and (6) participating in trade capacity building.

Download or read book Harnessing Trade for Development and Growth in the Middle East written by Bernard M. Hoekman and published by Council on Foreign Relations Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper looks at internal barriers to trade in Egypt, Gaza-West Bank, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates, with particular attention on the service sector.

Download or read book Regional Integration and National Disintegration in the Post Arab Spring Middle East written by Imad El-Anis and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2016-09-23 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited collection explores the processes of change currently shaping the Middle East in the post-Arab Spring context. The national and transnational challenges that have emerged since the uprisings in 2011 – particularly the increase in extremism, and the emergence and intensification of civil wars – have garnered significant attention in both media coverage and academic research. However, simultaneous (and far older) processes of regional integration – varying in form from free trade agreements like the Greater Arab Free Trade Area to economic and political unions like the Gulf Cooperation Council – have also been influenced by the changes of the past few years. This text draws together innovative new research from different fields to explore how far the changes shaping the Middle East are leading to the region’s polarisation between states that are integrating politically and economically with each other on the one hand, and states that are disintegrating internally on the other. The book includes contributions from scholars and practitioners from around the world, and who work in different fields including Middle Eastern studies, international relations, international political economy, foreign policy studies, and security studies. Chapters vary in focus and approach, with the first section focusing on security-related issues, particularly civil wars and terrorism. A second group of chapters looks at political economy in the region, and examines domestic, regional and global practices and processes, including foreign aid, trade, and development. A final group of chapters investigates socio-political and socio-cultural issues, including the role of civil society in the region, migration, and international law.

Download or read book The Economic Development Process in the Middle East and North Africa written by Alessandro Romagnoli and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-11-12 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offering a comprehensive analysis of the development of economies in the Middle East and North Africa over the past half century, this book charts the progress of these countries through an examination of an Islamic model of economic development, reform processes, and economic integration. Far from being a simple process, economic development in the Middle East and North Africa is dependent on the interaction of a set of changing systems including; international relations, the political regime, economy, and society. By analysing these interdependent factors, The Economic Development Process in MENA seeks to provide answers to the most pressing issues facing the economies in this area. Providing an interpretation of regional development in light of dialectics between state and society, this book will be of value to students and scholars with an interest in the Middle East, Economics, and International Relations.

Download or read book Trade Investment and Development in the Middle East and North Africa written by Dipak Das Gupta and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is a large potential for expanding trade in the Middle East and North Africa region. This work discusses ways forward for trade integration, capturing the diversity of country experiences within the region without losing the generality of principles involved.

Download or read book Trade Policy and Economic Integration in the Middle East and North Africa written by Hassan Hakimian and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This important book examines the impact of recent changes in the world economy on trade policy within the MENA region and its economic relations with the rest of the world.

Download or read book A Middle East Free Trade Area written by Bessma Momani and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bush administration hopes that through a Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA), peace and stability can be achieved through intra-regional economic cooperation. The current impediments to intra-regional economic cooperation, however, will make a MEFTA a hub-and-spoke trade relationship between the United States and the Middle East. Neoliberal arguments for the interrelation of peace and economic interdependence in the context of the Middle East are then considered.

Download or read book A US Middle East Trade Agreement written by Robert Z. Lawrence and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Multilateral vs Regional Economic Integration The Middle East and North African Region written by Benjamin Hätinger and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2010-09-01 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Diploma Thesis from the year 2009 in the subject Business economics - Economic Policy, grade: 2,3, University of Hohenheim, language: English, abstract: In this study it is intended to investigate today ́s actual economic interdependence of what we would call the Middle East and North African (MENA) region and to analyze its economic interweaving, both among its member countries and into the global trading system. Being aware of the complexity and breadth of this topic, the author has chosen only three subset economic integration agreements, both between the countries of the MENA region (intraregional) – also comprising a subregional agreement – and between the MENA region and other regions (interregional), for closer analysis. Concerning the efforts made towards interregional economic integration, this thesis concentrates mainly on the so-called EU-MED Partnership which was initiated at the Barcelona Conference in 1995 and aims to establish an EU-Med Free Trade Area (EMFTA) by the year 2010 including the EU and the 12 so-called Mediterranean countries which, apart from Malta, Cyprus and Turkey, all belong to the MENA region. In contrast, on the intraregional level, the latest initiative in 1997 will be examined, where 17 out of 22 Arab League member states - all of which also belong to the MENA region apart from Sudan – joined to constitute a “Greater Arab Free Trade Area” (GAFTA, mainly to get rid of traditional trade barriers for goods. On the smaller subregional level, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), consisting of 6 Gulf countries, which plans the establishment of a common currency by 2010, will be examined more closely. With GAFTA, GCC and the EU-MED Partnership all being in a different depth of integration and each representing one of the three different levels of integration (subregional, intraregional, interregional), the author holds the view that this choice reflects the actual state of integration in the region best. In a nutshell, this study tests the compatibility and correlation of the two different integration trends – multilateral and regional – using the example of the MENA region. Are they supplements or substitutes? Does regional integration inhibit or facilitate multilateral integration or vice versa? Are the above-mentioned regional integration arrangements contradictory, compatible or even mutually dependent? By approaching these questions the reader is to gain some insight into the so-called “Spaghetti Bowl” of cross-cutting integration agreements in the region.

Download or read book The US Jordan Free Trade Agreement and Qualifying Industrial Zones as a Model for Industrial Development written by Muḥammad Khaṣāwinah and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Political Economy of Middle East Peace written by J.W. Wright Jr. and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-06-17 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Political Economy of Middle East Peace looks at the political economy of the Middle Eastern peace process with a focus on the politics of trade. Contributors investigate the ways new commercial alliances develop as a result of economic agencies established via the Arab-Israeli peace process and look at institutions which contribute to redirection of Arab intra- and inter-regional trade, such as the Palestine Monetary Authority, the Middle East Development Bank and free trade zone agencies in Aquaba and Dubai.