CAFTA: Too Late To Help Central America

The U.S House of Representatives will bring a proposed free trade agreement with Central America and the Dominican Republic (CAFTA-DR) to a floor vote July 27. The bill faces unanimous opposition from Democrats and a handful of Republicans. However, its chances of passing narrowly have improved in the past two months because the Bush administration has used pork generously to make political deals with members of Congress. The Bush administration will hail CAFTA-DR's passage as a major political victory, but it comes too late to reverse increasing instability in Central America.