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Shannon O'Neil

Nafta's Biggest Challenge May Come After the Deal

Elections in Mexico and the U.S. could spell doom for any new agreement.

Divine intervention might help. — Divine intervention might help.
Photographer: Maurico Palos/Bloomberg via Getty Images

By

February 28, 2018, 5:48 PM UTC

U.S., Canadian and Mexican negotiators are cloistered in the Camino Real on the edge of Polanco in Mexico City, their sessions extending late in the night as they prepare for the arrival of ministers for the next round of talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

To contrast with the crackling tension ending the earlier meetings in Montreal, the Mexicans hope to leverage the rapport built between Mexican Commerce Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and announce new common ground.