	Introduction

On September 14, 2004, U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick signed a free trade agreement (FTA) between Bahrain and the United States. The implementing legislation was passed by the House on December 7 and passed by the Senate and cleared for the White House on December 13. The agreement was signed into law by the President on January 11, 2006, as the United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act ( P.L. 109-169 ). Many attribute Bahrain's selection as the first U.S. free trade agreement in the Persian Gulf to (1) the strong U.S.-Bahrain political military relationship, and (2) political and economic reform in Bahrain. Aircraft, miscellaneous manufactures and agricultural products account for the majority of U.S. exports. The FTA eliminates tariffs on all consumer and industrial products.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick signed the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on September 14, 2004. The implementing legislation was passed by the House on December 7, 2005, and passed by the Senate and cleared for the White House on December 13, 2005. The agreement was signed into law by the President on January 11, 2006, as the United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (P.L. 109-169).
Under the agreement, all bilateral trade in consumer and industrial goods will be duty free and 98% of U.S. agricultural exports will be duty free. The FTA is to support economic reform, both within Bahrain, and throughout the Middle East. This report will be updated as events warrant. For more information on Bahrain's politics, security, and US policy, see CRS Report 95-1013, Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy, by [author name scrubbed].