Since the early 1990s, North Americans have participated in a large
political-economic experiment in a regional trade bloc called the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). With NAFTA now over 10 years old,
the non-NAFTA countries have been debating the merits and shortcomings of
creating an expanded version of the trade agreement that would encompass
virtually every state in the Americas. The Free Trade Area of the Americas
(FTAA) would encompass 34 western hemisphere countries, over 800 million
consumers, and a total economy of over $12 trillion. The debate over the
FTAA raises a long list of important practical questions for each of the
potential member states and their citizens. The debate also raises a host
of pedagogical questions for students of the entire region and beyond.
This paper describes a student-based simulation that taps into those
practical and pedagogical questions. As in other simulations, such as the
Model United Nations, students role-play while vicariously experiencing
the opportunities and constraints facing each country as they negotiate
for policy preferences.