ABSTRACT
Trade treaties normally do not stir much political emotion. On the evening of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) vote, however, much of Washington expectantly awaited the outcome. The Zapatist National Liberation Army revolting in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas made no mistake about its intended target, NAFTA, Analysts could point to widening income gaps in Mexico gross unemployment, failed agricultural plans, inadequate social services, and an unresponsive political system. The US Congressional vote was the bellwether event concerning the entire NAFTA process. The chapter explores the origins of trade liberalization policy within the democratic policy, and the causal underpinnings of the flip-flop, in particular the question regarding which level of analysis is responsible for the exchange of party outlooks on trade. Political party remains a principal vehicle, not only for coalescing opinion on trade liberalization, but for conditioning and shaping trade policy.
