In Mexico, a Trying Year for Trade

Despite its checkered reputation in the United States, NAFTA has been an unequivocal boon for Mexico. Since the agreement took effect in 1994, NAFTA's lowered tariff barriers have spurred investment in Mexico, giving rise to manufacturing clusters in its northern states and central Bajio region. Total exports from Mexico to the United States grew more than sixfold in the deal's first 20 years, nearing $308 billion in 2014. For more than two decades, Mexico City has embraced free trade with its fellow bloc members -- and especially the United States -- crafting deep, complex trade relations with its northern neighbor. But that could change in 2017....