The main aim of this paper is to examine the rationale and performance of the anti-FTAA civil movement in the American region. As the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas(FTAA) negotiations has progressed since the late 1990s, the anti-FTAA civil move ...

The main aim of this paper is to examine the rationale and performance of the anti-FTAA civil movement in the American region. As the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas(FTAA) negotiations has progressed since the late 1990s, the anti-FTAA civil movement has been organized by various NGOs throughout the region. In analyzing the anti-FTAA civil movement, three main issues are addressed in this paper. The first issue is what have been the main activities and strategies of NGOs which have been actively involved in the anti-FTAA movement. Street demonstrations, campaigns to stop FTAA, international solidarity activities are discussed as the main activities of the anti-FTAA movement.
The second issue is why various NGOs try to oppose FTAA and what alternatives they suggest. Concerning the main reasons to oppose the FTAA and alternative visions, there are clear differences among diverse NGOs. In spite of this diversity, the anti-FTAA NGOs commonly criticize that the current FTAA negotiations lack the transparency and have been dominated by the corporate interests.
The final issue of this paper is how to evaluate the performance of the anti-FTAA movement. While the negotiations among government representatives ultimately determine the prospect of the FTAA, it is argued that the anti-FTAA movement has also influenced the process of negotiations and the contents of the FTAA agreement in specific issues.