Book Presentation

CAFTA and Free Trade is Spotts’ critical analysis of the recently introduced Central American Free Trade Agreement, which he believes will create extreme risks for the U.S. economy. Spotts also points out the danger that CAFTA poses for countries such as Mexico and Central America.

The slim book is written in common sense, conversational language and points out the deception involved in convincing Americans that free trade is a good thing. The rules of commerce have been changed to favor large companies and allow them to shift jobs to where the labor is cheapest. The information was compiled as Spotts traveled to nineteen cities across America interviewing recently laid-off workers. Spotts shows how the idea of free trade, as it will be under CAFTA, is in direct opposition to the moral and social principals that form the foundation of our economic strength.

After graduating from Yale in 1990, Greg Spotts opened his own entertainment management firm, which led to filmmaking. In December 2003, he put business aside to focus on the story of American job loss due to foreign competition. He produced the critically acclaimed documentary, American Jobs. CAFTA and Free Trade is the companion book to American Jobs.

This is a summary and not a critique or a review of the book. It does not offer judgment or opinion on the content of the book.  This summary may not be organized chapter-wise but is an overview of the main ideas, viewpoints and arguments from the book as a whole. This means that the organization of this summary is not a representation of the book.