Liberalism and Political Economy
The North American Free Trade Agreement allows for much interpretation and debate, especially in terms of its effect on the economy and the people of Mexico. There are three perspectives in which NAFTA is most commonly viewed through. These are the revolutionary, the liberal, and the political economy world views. For many who hold the revolutionary world view, NAFTA represents a form of neo-colonialism that allows powerful multinational corporations to control the political, economic, and social elements of a foreign society. In the eyes of a revolutionist, this is the direct result of the highly competitive and greed-ridden nature of capitalism. The revolutionary world view is concerned primarily with the well-being of society, and finds the free trade principles associated with NAFTA to be particularly disturbing. It is because of this that these individuals are dismayed as multinational corporations establish free trade zones. To a revolutionary, free trade zones mean impecunious workers, the destruction of nature in its purest form, and unsettling crimes against human rights. The Zapatistas are an example of a revolutionary viewpoint. The Zapatistas are a group of people in Mexico who grew tired of centuries of
The fundamental concerns of a political economy world view revolve around societal order and the preservation of the masses as is expressed in Beyond Eurocentrism. Individuals who see through the eyes of this world view worry about the global changes brought about by NAFTA. For example, the political economy world view fears that state power is being undermined by the growing influence of multinational corporations. It links corporate expansion with the rise of international economic agreements, such as NAFTA. This leads to the privatization of state owned corporations and the loss of governmental independence. On the other hand, a liberalist world view would support the idea of an agreement such as NAFTA. NAFTA ensures protection of private businesses and individuals through free trade and government deregulations. The North American Free Trade Agreement works to lower tariffs and to eventually spread its ideals throughout the entire hemisphere. The presidential candidate, Ross Perot was very vocal during the implementation and ratification of NAFTA. He freely expressed his protectionist viewpoints. Many people criticized his forthrightness, claiming he would ruin NAFTA's chance of passing in Congress. Nonetheless, he was quite consistent in his political economy views on the issue of free trade in North America. These three world views have been constantly quarreling over the idea of free trade. Many of the beliefs in relation to NAFTA are similar among these groups, yet the differences are many. Liberalism an
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Approximate Word count = 1037
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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