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United States-Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Free Trade Agreement Negotiations: Background and Potential Issues

Description: This report discusses negotiations to launch a free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and the five members of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland) that began on June 3, 2003. A potential FTA would eliminate tariffs over time, reduce or eliminate non-tariff barriers, liberalize service trade, protect intellectual property rights, and provide technical assistance to help SACU nations achieve the goals of the agreement. T… more
Date: July 24, 2008
Creator: Langton, Danielle
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S.-European Union Trade Relations: Issues and Policy Challenges

Description: This report examines the economic partnership between the United States and the European Union. Not only is the U.S.-EU trade and investment relationship the largest in the world, but it is also arguably the most important. Agreement between the two partners in the past has been critical to making the world trading system more open and efficient.
Date: May 20, 2005
Creator: Ahearn, Raymond J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Trade Deficit and the Impact of Changing Oil Prices

Description: Petroleum prices rose sharply in the first half of 2008, at one time reaching more than $140 per barrel of crude oil. This report provides an estimate of the initial impact of the changing oil prices on the nation’s merchandise trade deficit.
Date: July 14, 2009
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Caribbean Basin Interim Trade Program: CBI/NAFTA Parity

Description: To provide an idea of the nature and scope of changes in trade competitiveness between the CBERA countries and Mexico that have resulted from the implementation of the NAFTA, this report describes the relevant preferential or special tariff treatments, as applicable. The aspects of trade policy that apply generally to all (or most) U.S. trading partners (e.g., most-favored-nation/normal-trade-relations status, or production-sharing provisions) are not included in any detail.
Date: January 12, 2005
Creator: Pregelj, Vladimir N.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Section 301 of The Trade Act of 1974, As Amended: Its Operation and Issues Involving its Use by the United States

Description: This report describes the Section 301 process (including the related Special 301 and Super 301 processes) and examines questions that arise from its use. Section 301 is one of the principal means by whichthe United States attempts to combat unfair trading practices and enforce U.S. rights under trade agreements
Date: August 17, 2000
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proposed Import Restrictions on Milk Protein Concentrates (MPCs)

Description: Low farm milk prices and declining dairy sector income in 2009 have renewed congressional interest in imposing new import barriers on milk protein concentrates (MPCs), which generally include casein, the main protein found in milk, and caseinates, a soluble form of casein. This report examines proposed import restrictions and potential trade policy implications.
Date: September 30, 2009
Creator: Shields, Dennis A. & Hanrahan, Charles E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Arab League Boycott of Israel

Description: This report briefly discusses the Arab League's boycott of Israeli companies and Israeli-made goods since Israel's founding in 1948, as well as U.S. efforts to end the boycott and prevent U.S. firms in participating in the boycott.
Date: April 12, 2007
Creator: Weiss, Martin A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade Preferences for Developing Countries and the World Trade Organization (WTO)

Description: World Trade Organization (WTO) Members must grant immediate and unconditional most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment to the products of other Members regarding tariffs and other trade-related measures. Programs such as the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), under which developed countries grant preferential tariff rates to developing country goods, are facially inconsistent with this obligation because they accord goods of some countries more favorable tariff treatment than that accorded to … more
Date: October 21, 2008
Creator: Grimmett, Jeanne J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Jackson-Vanik Amendment and Candidate Countries for WTO Accession: Issues for Congress

Description: This report gives an analysis of the unconditional most-favored-nation (MFN) status, or in U.S. statutory parlance, normal trade relations (NTR) status, which is a fundamental principle of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This conflicts with the U.S. laws under Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 that limits trade status with several nations undergoing accession into the WTO. On June 12, 2012, Sen. Max Baucus introduced a bill with bipartisan co-sponsorship to authorize PNTR for Russia. The re… more
Date: March 14, 2006
Creator: Cooper, William H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proposed Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Labor Issues

Description: This report examines three labor issues and arguments related to the pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (CFTA, H.R. 5724): violence against trade unionists; impunity (accountability for or punishment of the perpetrators); and worker rights protections for Colombians.
Date: January 15, 2009
Creator: Bolle, Mary Jane
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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India-U.S. Relations

Description: This report includes analysis of the relationship between the United States and India, as well as India's regional relations. Also includes nuclear and regional dissidence information.
Date: April 6, 2006
Creator: Kronstadt, K. Alan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agricultural Issues in the 110th Congress

Description: This report considers the issues the 110th Congress was confronted with in relation to agriculture and the issues inherited from the 109th Congress. The report also includes details about the upcoming farm bill and the usual problems that are examined with the creation of a new farm bill.
Date: January 23, 2007
Creator: Chite, Ralph M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990

Description: This report discusses U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, or Republic of China (ROC), including policy issues for Congress and legislation. The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), P.L. 96-8, has governed U.S. arms sales to Taiwan since 1979, when the United States recognized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) instead of the ROC. There are two other relevant elements of the “one China” policy: the August 17, 1982 U.S.-PRC Joint Communique and the “Six Assurances” made to Taiwan.
Date: April 18, 2003
Creator: Kan, Shirley A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Growth of the Private Sector in China and Implications For China’s Accession to the World Trade Organization

Description: This report discusses the growth of the private sector in China, which has occurred to a large extent from the government’s efforts to reform China’s money-losing state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Workers who have been laid off from SOEs have been encouraged to find jobs in the private sector or to start their own businesses.
Date: March 28, 2001
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. - European Union Disputes in the World Trade Organization

Description: This report discusses disputes in the World Trade Organization (WTO) between the United States and the European Union (EU). The report begins with an overview of the issues to be addressed, and continues with a brief description of the WTO dispute settlement process, a summary of U.S.-EU dispute settlement history, and a review of issues arising from cases of longstanding non-compliance. The report concludes with a discussion of continuing concerns and policy considerations.
Date: May 27, 2003
Creator: Ahearn, Raymond J. & Grimmett, Jeanne J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Proposed U.S.-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement

Description: This report addresses the proposed U.S.-Malaysia free trade agreement (FTA). It provides a brief overview of the Malaysian economy, a review of U.S. interests in the proposed agreement, an examination of possible issues likely to arise during the negotiations, a comparison of tariff rates between the two countries, legislative procedures, and an appendix with a brief chronology and trade data — including U.S. exports to Malaysia by sector and exports to Malaysia by state.
Date: October 16, 2006
Creator: Nanto, Dick K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Export-Import Bank: Reauthorization

Description: This report discusses the ongoing debate regarding the Export-Import Bank of the United States, a federal government corporation which is the the official export credit agency (ECA) of the U.S. Government.
Date: July 28, 2006
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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