CAFTA is often compared to NAFTA, but the roots of the trade pact are very different. They began in 1983 when the great Ronald Reagan launched his Caribbean Basin Initiative. As he fought the march of communism with all his strength, the far-thinking President Reagan also knew that U.S. might is based not only on military power but on economic power and more particularly, the ability to share our hope with others. The American Dream is also the Honduran Dream, the Salvadoran Dream, the Costa Rican Dream, the Guatemalan Dream.

Now, with CAFTA, we all share the same dream. CAFTA unites us, and not only does it unite us, it builds democracy and civil society through free markets. It also destroys communist tyrants like Daniel Ortega, Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, all of whom tried to stop CAFTA. They lost. And with CAFTA, we are all Americans now.

This is Reagan’s final triumph.