http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedc ... /44489.htm

By PETER BROOKES

May 23, 2005 -- AMERICANS might be so focused on expanding freedom and democracy in the Muslim world that we'll blow an historic opportunity to promote those causes in our own backyard. That's what will happen if Congress rejects the Central American Free Trade Act (CAFTA) in the coming weeks

CAFTA is a U.S.-initiated trade agreement with five Central American nations (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua) and the Caribbean's Dominican Republic.

The pact has far-reaching ramifications for U.S. interests, including free markets, democracy and national security.

Of course, CAFTA is predominantly about trade: the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) office says CAFTA countries constitute the second-largest U.S. export market in Latin America (behind Mexico and ahead of Brazil.)

These six nations (of 44 million people) form a larger export market for the U.S. than do (the 1.5 billion people of) Russia, India and Indonesia combined â€â€