The U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues (open access)

The U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues

This report discusses the proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) signed November 22, 2006, which has not yet been approved by Congress. It includes an overview of the proposed CFTA and U.S.-Colombia trade, background on Colombia, issues for Congress to consider, Colombia's plan to improve labor rights, and the actions that Colombia has already taken to improve violence, labor, and human rights within the country.
Date: February 14, 2014
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles
System: The UNT Digital Library
Temporary Protected Status: Current Immigration Policy and Issues (open access)

Temporary Protected Status: Current Immigration Policy and Issues

This report is a brief overview of current policies regarding temporatry protected status (TPS), which is relief from removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). It includes information about humanitarian migrants, temporary protected status, other blanket forms of relief, nationalities receiving protections, and issues with TPS, as well as recent legislation.
Date: January 14, 2014
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen & Ester, Karma
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (open access)

The Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement

The proposed U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, also called the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), is a bilateral free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia which, if ratified, would eliminate tariffs and other barriers in goods and services between the two countries. The CFTA negotiations grew out of a regional effort in 2004 to produce a U.S.-Andean free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and the Andean countries of Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador. In his January 2010 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama called for a new National Export Initiative (NEI) to boost U.S. exports and create jobs. One component of the NEI calls for opening new markets for U.S. exports by resolving outstanding issues with Colombia, Korea, and Panama with the objective of moving forward with the pending FTAs at the appropriate time. There is currently no indication that the 111th Congress will consider implementing legislation for the proposed U.S.-Colombia FTA.
Date: October 1, 2010
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles
System: The UNT Digital Library
Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the Role of Congress in Trade Policy (open access)

Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the Role of Congress in Trade Policy

This report presents background and analysis on the development of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which expired on July 1, 2007. The report also includes a summary of the major provisions under the recently expired authority and a discussion of the issues that have arisen in the debate over TPA renewal. It also explores the policy options available to Congress and will be updated as the congressional debate unfolds.
Date: November 4, 2010
Creator: Hornbeck, J. F. & Cooper, William H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (open access)

The Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement

This report examines three labor issues and arguments related to the pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (CFTA; H.R. 5724 and S. 2830): violence against trade unionists; impunity (accountability for or punishment of the perpetrators); and worker rights protections for Colombians. The congressional debate surrounding the agreement has mostly centered on the violence issues in Colombia.
Date: January 26, 2011
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles
System: The UNT Digital Library
Latin America: Terrorism Issues (open access)

Latin America: Terrorism Issues

Since the September 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, U.S. attention to terrorism in Latin America has intensified, with an increase in bilateral and regional cooperation. This report discusses the issue in relation to the U.S. State Department's April 2009 Country Report on Terrorism; Colombian President Hugo Chávez's sympathies with terrorist groups and lack of cooperation on antiterrorism efforts; growing U.S. concern over activities of terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas in the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay; and various legislative initiatives related to Latin American terrorism issues being considered by the 112th Congress.
Date: February 23, 2011
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Latin America: Terrorism Issues (open access)

Latin America: Terrorism Issues

Since the September 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, U.S. attention to terrorism in Latin America has intensified, with an increase in bilateral and regional cooperation. This report discusses the issue in relation to the U.S. State Department's April 2009 Country Report on Terrorism; Colombian President Hugo Chávez's sympathies with terrorist groups and lack of cooperation on antiterrorism efforts; growing U.S. concern over activities of terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas in the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay; and various legislative initiatives related to Latin American terrorism issues being considered by the 111th Congress.
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Labor Issues (open access)

Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Labor Issues

This report examines three labor issues and arguments related to the pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (CFTA; H.R. 5724 and S. 2830): violence against trade unionists; impunity (accountability for or punishment of the perpetrators); and worker rights protections for Colombians.
Date: October 5, 2010
Creator: Bolle, Mary Jane
System: The UNT Digital Library
ATPA Renewal: Background and Issues (open access)

ATPA Renewal: Background and Issues

The Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) extends special duty treatment to certain U.S. imports from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru that meet domestic content and other requirements. The purpose of ATPA is to promote economic growth in the Andean region and to encourage a shift away from dependence on illegal drugs by supporting legitimate economic activities. This report outlines the various aspects of the ATPA, including significant dates and modifications.
Date: March 9, 2011
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles
System: The UNT Digital Library
Colombia: Background, U.S. Relations, and Congressional Interest (open access)

Colombia: Background, U.S. Relations, and Congressional Interest

Report that contains information related to the internal revolutionary and narcotic conflicts of Colombia the past and present relationship between Colombia and the United States.
Date: November 28, 2012
Creator: Beittel, June S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues (open access)

Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues

The United States is Colombia's leading trade partner. Colombia accounts for a very small percentage of U.S. trade (0.9% in 2010), ranking 20th among U.S. export markets and 25th as a source of U.S. imports. Economic studies on the impact of a U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (FTA) have found that, upon full implementation of an agreement, the impact on the United States would be positive but very small due to the small size of the Colombian economy when compared to that of the United States (about 1.9%).
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles
System: The UNT Digital Library
Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Labor Issues (open access)

Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Labor Issues

This report examines three labor issues and arguments related to the pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (CFTA; H.R. 5724 and S. 2830): violence against trade unionists; impunity (accountability for or punishment of the perpetrators); and worker rights protections for Colombians.
Date: April 14, 2011
Creator: Bolle, Mary Jane
System: The UNT Digital Library
Columbia: Background and U.S. Relations (open access)

Columbia: Background and U.S. Relations

This report analyzes the political and economic conditions in Colombia and examines major issues in U.S.-Colombian relations. Topics covered include recent Presidential administrations, economic conditions, the FARC Peace Accord, human rights concerns, the narcotics trade, and the U.S.-Colombia bilateral strategies known as Plan Colombia and Peace Colombia.
Date: November 14, 2017
Creator: Beittel, June S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Agriculture in Pending U.S. Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama (open access)

Agriculture in Pending U.S. Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama

This report discusses pending U.S. free trade agreements (FTAs) with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. The bills to implement these agreements will now be debated under trade promotion authority, or fast-track rules, designed to expedite congressional consideration. The report includes an overview of agricultural issues regarding FTAs and pending FTA partners, as well as a closer breakdown of the specific issues for each of the countries.
Date: October 6, 2011
Creator: Jurenas, Remy
System: The UNT Digital Library
Temporary Protected Status: Current Immigration Policy and Issues (open access)

Temporary Protected Status: Current Immigration Policy and Issues

This report is a brief overview of current policies regarding temporatry protected status (TPS), which is relief from removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). It includes information about humanitarian migrants, temporary protected status, other blanket forms of relief, nationalities receiving protections, and issues with TPS, as well as recent legislation.
Date: December 13, 2011
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen & Ester, Karma
System: The UNT Digital Library
Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues (open access)

Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues

This report discusses the proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) signed November 22, 2006, which has not yet been approved by Congress. It includes an overview of the proposed CFTA and U.S.-Colombia trade, background on Colombia, issues for Congress to consider, Colombia's plan to improve labor rights, and the actions that Colombia has already taken to improve violence, labor, and human rights within the country.
Date: July 8, 2011
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles
System: The UNT Digital Library
Colombia: Issues for Congress (open access)

Colombia: Issues for Congress

This report provides an overview of recent political developments in Colombia. It reviews the administration of President Uribe (2002-2010), continuing into the election of President Juan Manuel Santos and his first months in office. The report then provides background on the longstanding conflict with internal armed groups that has marked Colombia’s modern development, examining the roots of the conflict and its major actors as well as their present status. The report considers ongoing challenges such as human rights, demobilization and displacement, drug trends, and Colombia’s regional relations. It outlines the National Consolidation Plan which updates Plan Colombia with a whole-of-government approach to eliminate the insurgency, and it describes the U.S.-Colombia Defense Cooperation Agreement. The report raises some of the major policy issues that the U.S. Congress has had, and will continue to pursue, in relation to U.S.-Colombia policy, such as the pending U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.
Date: March 18, 2011
Creator: Beittel, June S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
ATPA Renewal: Background and Issues (open access)

ATPA Renewal: Background and Issues

This report outlines the various aspects of the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA), including significant dates and modifications. The ATPA extends special duty treatment to certain U.S. imports from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru that meet domestic content and other requirements. The purpose of ATPA is to promote economic growth in the Andean region and to encourage a shift away from dependence on illegal drugs by supporting legitimate economic activities.
Date: April 14, 2011
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Pacific Alliance: A Trade Integration Initiative in Latin America (open access)

The Pacific Alliance: A Trade Integration Initiative in Latin America

This report provides an overview of the structure of the Pacific Alliance, events leading up to its creation, and the economic significance of the Member countries.
Date: March 29, 2016
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Proposed U.S. Foreign Assistance Initiative "Peace Colombia" (open access)

The Proposed U.S. Foreign Assistance Initiative "Peace Colombia"

This report briefly discusses Plan Colombia, a bilateral cooperation program aimed at improving Colombia's security and strengthening its democratic development.
Date: March 3, 2016
Creator: Beittel, June S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
United States Agency for International Development Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance Office of Transition Initiative (open access)

United States Agency for International Development Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance Office of Transition Initiative

A report by USAID about a program that intends to enhance U.S. Government (USG) policy goals and complement other ongoing USG programs in the country by supporting activities that promote an enabling environment for sustainable peace.
Date: June 5, 2015
Creator: United States. Agency for International Development.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Prospects in Colombia: Cease-Fire, Peace Accord Vote, and Potential Disrupters (open access)

Prospects in Colombia: Cease-Fire, Peace Accord Vote, and Potential Disrupters

This report discusses the political situation in Colombia after a peace accord negotiated over four years between the government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the country's largest insurgent group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Date: September 14, 2016
Creator: Beittel, June S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Foreign Assistance as Colombia's Peace Talks on Cusp of Completion (open access)

U.S. Foreign Assistance as Colombia's Peace Talks on Cusp of Completion

This report discusses the ongoing peace process in Colombia and the potential effects for U.S. policy. On July 18, 2016, the Colombian Constitutional Court approved a plebiscite to allow Colombian voters to decide the fate of the peace accord under negotiation between the government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the country's largest insurgent group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Date: July 20, 2016
Creator: Beittel, June S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Food for Peace Act, Section 202(e) Funding Report (open access)

Food for Peace Act, Section 202(e) Funding Report

Report about how the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) used the Food for Peace Act, Section 202(e) funding in Fiscal Year 2015 to improve the impact of the Office of Food for Peace's Title II programming.
Date: September 30, 2016
Creator: U.S. Agency International Development
System: The UNT Digital Library