Over the weekend, trade officials from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada wrapped up the fourth of seven rounds of renegotiations of NAFTA. While NAFTA is critically important to the entire continent, these discussions have created a host of new problems and offer little reason for optimism.

Heading into the renegotiation process, tensions between the three nations were already high. President Trump’s pledge to build a wall on the southern border at the expense of Mexico infuriated many of our southern neighbors. A trade spat with Canada earlier this year led to mutually harmful tariffs on imported softwood lumber. And an unsubstantiated dumping claim filed by U.S.-based Boeing against Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier led to a recent preliminary ruling calling for up to 300 percent tariffs on their planes.