NewWorld

International
Relations Terms

WTO Doha Round
A round of broad-ranging negotiations begun in 2001 by the World Trade Organization (WTO), including discussions on agriculture and services. In the most recent summits, member states have also agreed to consider the difficulties developing countries face in complying with WTO agreements. Since 2005, negotiations have stalled due to the misaligned interests of the developed and developing member states.

CAFTA-DR
The Dominican Republic-Central America-Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) was ratified by the U.S. Congress in 2005 and established a “comprehensive trade agreement among Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the United States.”

NAFTA
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), effective as of 1994, was negotiated by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The agreement has facilitated trade across these North American borders by minimizing obstacles such as tariffs. Some argue that it has also caused American producers to compete with lower-cost workers in Mexico, leading to a flight of American jobs south of the border.

Millennium Challenge Account
 The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) was established by the Millennium Challenge Corporation with the aim of removing politics from the calculus of foreign aid allocation. To that end, developing countries are evaluated against 16 indicators and receive funding on a competitive basis, in which only those countries that have made the greatest strides toward economic liberalization and the decimation of corruption receive development assistance.

SOURCES: WTO: BBC News– http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5095588.stm; official Doha website– http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dda_e/dda_e.htm
CAFTA: USDA website–http://www.fas.usda.gov/itp/CAFTA/cafta.asp
NAFTA: USDA website– http://www.fas.usda.gov/itp/Policy/NAFTA/nafta.asp
MCA: White House website– http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/developingnations/millennium.html