North American Free Trade Agreement

First going into force on January 1, 1994, and continuing to be refined, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a cooperative economic treaty among Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America. It is specifically an economic agreement, rather than a regional political association; all the signatories are, however, members of the Organization of American States.

It does not supersede, but is to be harmonized with, other international agreements including:

• General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
• Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
• Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal

The North American Air Defense Command and other bilateral military and security agreement are outside its scope.

Among many other actions, NAFTA phased out and, often, fully eliminated tariffs from goods made in Mexico and shipped into the United States, resulting in loss of manufacturing jobs in the U.S., especially in Southern states.