Hoy newspaper headlines today that for the first time the Dominican Republic could be under consideration to participate in the Central American bilateral free trade agreement with the United States. A sort of hysteria took hold of the DR last year after the US announced that it would open FTA talks with Central America. Local manufacturers reacted by performing an about-face in Dominican trade negotiation schemes. Instead, they strove to acquiesce with US proposals, seeking to please the Americans so as to be included in the negotiations. Manufacturers feared a repeat of the disadvantageous situation created when Mexico joined NAFTA.