NAFTA 2.0, so far....

With no shortage of global chaos drawing our attention these days, not the least of which is North Korea, you may not have been paying attention to the fact that the second round of NAFTA 2.0 talks

The Three Amigos 2.0?

wrapped up in Mexico City this past weekend. Complex negotiations like the NAFTA 2.0 have a fascinating set of dynamics worthy of study in their own right. You don't just show up in a hotel conference room, sit down with your counterparts, and begin hashing out an agreement. Negotiations are dynamic, sometimes unpredictable situations. All sides can be hyper-prepared with their briefings, position papers, and demands. But once negotiations are formally underway, all bets about the precise outcome are off. Everything from the shape of the bargaining table, to the actual process by which parties negotiate, and, of course, the personalities of the negotiators themselves, is pivotal to the outcome. Indeed, it is frequently the case that negotiations seem doomed just before an agreement is struck.