Publication

In this paper, the effects of American and European trade arrangements on three MENA countries - Jordan, Morocco, and Egypt - are examined. The author reviews the economic results of these trade agreements and examines their overall socioeconomic and political effects. He concludes that the American free trade efforts in the MENA region clearly differ from those of the EU, though both are increasingly vigorous. Western trade efforts aim to promote growth as a way to reduce poverty and hence migration and security concerns, however, tensions in the Middle East might mask the longterm stabilizing effect of economic development.