Run-up to the Formation of NAFTA: Rare Consensus amidst Strong Dissension in US Foreign Policy Dynamics

In contemporary environment, US political system is predominantly marked by divided government, political gridlock, and polarized politics. Such conflict-ridden political environment has proved to be detrimental for efficient and effective policy-making in foreign policy domain. There are significant political factors which complicate the process of decision making and congressional-presidential relations. Partisan and ideological differences in an era of primarily divided government are rampant in the political process thereby severely hampering coalition-building not only inside Congress but also between Congress and the president. In an era in which heightened political brinkmanship has enveloped the process of US foreign policy making, continuum of consensus and dissension between the legislative and executive branches has virtually become the norm. Moreover, election exigencies and media perspectives also play significant role in complicating the process of foreign policy making. This paper analyzes politico-economic dynamics in the run-up to the formation of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in order to explain contingencies that often lead to continuum of consensus and dissension in treaty process. The paper argues that such continuum of consensus and dissension is the cornerstone of foreign policy making in the current polarized political environment. Having said that, the findings of this paper confirms that amidst strong dissension in continuum in legislative-executive process there was a glimpse of rare consensus emerging, which eventually clinched the deal towards getting Congressional approval on this major foreign trade policy endeavor.