ABSTRACT
This chapter is devoted to a brief description of the Spanish and Portuguese market with respect to American agricultural trade before the enlargement in January 1986; this market was at the center of the "corn war." It outlines changes after these countries joined the European Community (EC), providing the background for the conflict and indicating the scope of the issues at stake during the "corn war." The chapter provides the history of the trade conflict, beginning with the initial reactions of American farm lobby groups to the agricultural accommodations that the EC made to the entry of Spain and Portugal in the beginning of 1986 and extending to the first preliminary agreement that was reached in January of 1987. It presents an analysis of internal political issues at crucial points during the conflicts and their relationship to the bargaining positions assumed by the negotiators.
