Tearing Up NAFTA: Easier Said than Done

President-elect Donald Trump consistently lambasted the North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA) as a “the worst deal, possibly in history,” one which unfairly disadvantages American workers. He has promised to renegotiate the agreement, or possibly even get rid of it altogether. However, critics contend that the effect of degrading trade relations with Washington’s two largest trading partners could be devastating. Others point out that the legal basis for backing out of the deal is shaky at best. The Cipher Brief spoke with former Senior Economist of International Trade and Investment in the White House Council of Economic Advisors and Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Chad Bown.

The Cipher Brief: Assuming that President-elect Trump’s previous statements on NAFTA represent his planned policy, what can we expect his administration to do to undermine the agreement?