MONDAY

1. CURRENT ISSUES

2. STATISTICS

3. ANALYTICAL COMMENTARY

WEDNESDAY

4. THEORY

USMCA

5. ANALYTICS

Will the USMCA Change Mexico for the Better?

VOCABULARY & GRAMMAR

KEY TERMS
termcondition
approve amendmentto confirm formally, accept an alteration of or addition to a bill, constitution, etc.
pass legislation to bring in a new law by voting in parliament or by decree
ratify to confirm by expressing consent, approval, or formal sanction
impose to apply by authority; force the acceptance of
provisiona clause in a legal instrument, a law, etc., providing for a particular matter
infringementan act of interfering with someone’s rights
terminate to bring to an end, dismiss
violationa breaking of a law
incorporateto introduce (something) as a basic part
FOCUS WORDS
anticipateожидать, предвосхищать, предчувствовать
concessionуступка
postponeоткладывать, отсрочивать
determine определять, устанавливать
rejectотвергать, отклонять
crucialрешающий, ключевой, критический
complianceсогласие, соблюдение, соответствие
abandon отказываться от, оставлять, покидать
reluctant вынужденный, неохотный
enforcementприведение в исполнение
PREPOSITIONS
  1. obstacle to 
  2. consequences for
  3. in particular
  4. change for the better
  5. reasons for
  6. benefits of
  7. relate to 
  8. acceptable to
  9. focused on
  10. compliance with
  11. disregard for
  12. succeed in
  13. invest in 
  14. sanctions for
  15. on the grounds
WORDS FOR REPORT
grow at a modest pace
the turnout rates
account for 
to be projected to reach
respectively
a higher share of
considerably less likely 
the median age 
GRAMMAR PATTERNS

The House vote came more than a year after the three countries’ leaders signed the USMCA in Buenos Aires in November 2018 – a longer wait than many had anticipated, but shorter than others had expected after the Republicans lost their House majority in last year’s midterm elections.

Officials and analysts in the three countries had been hopeful that Congress would approve the agreement.

But if the pact is intended to boost Mexico’s economic growth and welfare, and bolster the rule of law, it will not achieve these goals any time soon.

The political issue was obvious: if Pelosi supported the USMCA (thereby showing that the Democrats could “do the people’s business”), she would give Trump a win at the same time that the House was impeaching him.

But if she opposed the pact on the grounds that it failed to meet the demands of US labor organizations, she would expose the Democrats to Trump’s charge that they are interested only in overturning the result of the 2016 election.

But if the pact is intended to boost Mexico’s economic growth and welfare, and bolster the rule of law, it will not achieve these goals any time soon.

Many congressional Democrats demanded that the agreement be revised to allow US officials to conduct unannounced in situ inspections of plants and companies in Mexico.

The new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement may well succeed in marginally improving America’s position regarding jobs, investment, labor, the environment, and dispute settlement.

TEST