This document discusses the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as a debate over the wisdom of opening the southern United States border to the free flow of goods and services between the United States and Mexico. The book is divided into six chapters. The first is a basic introduction to the development of the idea of a free trade agreement among the nations of North America, and the work of Mexican President Salinas to turn his country around economically. The second chapter discusses the mechanics of U.S. foreign policy formulation including the concept of fast-track that empowers presidential representatives to forge a trade deal with one or more foreign governments. Congress must then accept or reject the accord as a package; no changes are allowed. This section describes President Bush's actions in announcing NAFTA and an action plan keyed to the concerns of labor and environmental groups, especially a memorandum of understanding on worker health and safety between the United States and Mexico. The third chapter describes the negotiations, including how the talks began, the negotiators, Mexican-Canadian disagreement, U.S. energy interests, and the principles underlying NAFTA. Issues focused on were: (1) market access that embraces tariffs, rules of origin, government procurement, and related topics; (2) trade rules; (3) services; (4) investment; (5) intellectual-property rights; and (6) dispute settlement. The fourth chapter describes the agreement. The last two chapters are on the evolution of Mexican lobbying in the United States and future prospects for the agreement. A glossary, discussion questions for students, and an 11-item annotated reading list are included. (DK)