Free trade agreements have proven to be one of the best ways to open up foreign markets to U.S. exporters. The United States has agreements in force with 19 countries: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Singapore, and South Korea. President Obama signed a free trade agreement with Panama on October 21, 2011, but the agreement has not been implemented. In 2011, trade with countries that the United States has free trade agreements was significantly greater than their relative share of the global economy: although comprising 7.26% of global GDP[1] (not including the United States, South Korea, Panama, or Colombia), those countries accounted for over 41% of U.S. exports[2].
