Impacts of protectionism in the current crisis: case study NAFTA

Tendecies to protectionism appeared in all crisis so far. The current one is no exception. Used protecting tools are the characteristics what differentiate them. The most used tools are non-tarrif measures, especially technical. Governments also applied stimulus packages which often included buy-national type of activities. The thesis concetrates on the roots of the changed pattern in the global economy. It investigates the influence of WTO, which liberalizes the world trade on the multilateral basis. On the other hand, the thesis focuses on regionalism and regional integrations, that liberalize trade only among few involved countries. The thesis also reflects the division of the world to developing and developed countries and describes differences in used measures. The case study investigates the North American Free Trade Agreement, which includes one developing and two developed countries. It also includes the world's biggest economy, whose behaviour heavily impacts the development of the global economy as a whole. This example illustrates differences in the measures used by governments of developing and developed coutries. It analyses influence of a regional integration to these measures and compares it to the influence of WTO. The possibilities of further enlargement of the free trade area and of involving the member countries to other integrations are reflected as well.