It is difficult to exaggerate the initial impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on trade policy worldwide. NAFTA predated the World Trade Organization (WTO), greatly influenced the conclusion of the Uruguay Round, served as a catalyst for dynamism in APEC, and also for competitive opening among Latin American countries.  However, this impulse failed to crystallize in a Hemispheric wide integration process due to Brazil’s opposition (betting on the success of a Mercosur it could control), and to the political rejection of NAFTA in the US Congress.