The stalling of the Doha Development Round trade negotiations has resulted in bilateral and regional free trade agreements becoming an important alternative. These agreements have proliferated in recent years, and now all of the major trading countries are engaging in serious bilateral trade negotiations with multiple trading partners. This second edition provides a new collection of case studies illustrating the latest trends and innovations in bilateral and regional trade agreements (BRTAs). The selected BRTAs represent a good sampling of regional variation and cover the most important substantive issues. Authored by leading scholars and practitioners, each case study offers comprehensive analysis of the featured BRTA, and the format allows for quick comparisons.

The stalling of the Doha Development Round trade negotiations has resulted in bilateral and regional free trade agreements (BRTAs) becoming an important alternative. These agreements have proliferated in recent years, and now all of the major trading countries are engaging in serious bilateral trade negotiations with multiple trading partners. This second edition provides updated and comprehensive analysis of the contents and trends of recent BRTAs. It is unique in that it situates these agreements in their economic, international law and international relations contexts. It also comprehensively reviews the recent agreements in relation to each substantive topic covered (e.g. intellectual property, investment, services and social policy) so as to provide an overview of the law being created in these areas.

As the Doha Development Round trade negotiations have stalled, bilateral and regional free trade agreements have become an important alternative. These agreements have proliferated in recent years, and now all of the major trading countries are engaging in serious bilateral and regional trade negotiations with multiple trading partners. This book provides a comprehensive study of recent bilateral and regional trade agreements. There are two main aspects. First, it situates bilateral and regional trade agreements in the context of economics, international law and international relations. Second, it surveys the most important recent agreements in relation to each substantive topic covered (e.g. intellectual property, investment, services and social policy) and provides an overview of the law being created in these areas.

The history of the world trading system and international trade agreements is characterised by shifts between bilateralism, regionalism and multilateralism. Bilateralism has recently returned, having gained momentum following the failed WTO negotiations at the 1999 Seattle Ministerial Conference. The result is that today's international trade rules are now a complex web of instruments and agreements. This volume contains case studies of selected bilateral and regional free trade agreements (FTAs), covering a wide range of countries, regions and key issues such as intellectual property and agriculture. Authored by leading scholars, practitioners and governmental officials, each case study provides a comprehensive review of the negotiating history and result of the selected agreement. Each study can serve as an in-depth examination of a particular FTA, and the group of case studies can be used to compare and contrast the coverage of different FTAs or to examine the FTAs signed by a particular country.