National Solutions to Trans-Border Problems? - (New Regionalisms) by Isidro Morales

About the Book

After the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Canada, the US and Mexico redefined their public policies to facilitate the regionalization of transactions. However, institutional gaps remain in the cross-border governance of security aspects. This book examines these deficiencies, gathering interdisciplinary contributions from specialists working on continental issues within all three countries, and highlighting the transnational dimension of certain issues still managed under national-framed policies.

Book Synopsis

'Triggered by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Canada, the United States and Mexico redefined their public policies to facilitate the regionalization of transactions. However, this volume addresses the institutional gaps that still remain focusing mainly on the cross-border governance of security aspects. It gathers interdisciplinary contributions of specialists working on continental issues within Canada, the United States and Mexico and highlights the transnational dimension of certain issues still managed under national-framed policies. Furthermore, it explores the possibilities and constraints for moving public policy into new cross-border governance strategies. Divided in three parts, the first part assesses what is at stake in cross-border governance issues and whether the integrative trend in the region will be maintained or stalled in the years to come. The second part explores the growing scope of security problems interconnected with borders, migration, energy and drug trafficking across the region. It highlights how Mexico and Canada are responding or adapting their policy choices to a continental security approach framed by the US after the terrorist attacks of September 11, and to the major concerns of the Obama administration. The third part focuses on the governance of territorial borders and bilateral affairs, i.e. Mexico-US and Canada-Mexico relations.

Review Quotes

'A timely and instructive collection concerning a central issue for the future of North America by a multidisciplinary group of highly competent scholars. Offers perceptive analyses on how to approach the terrorism-transnational crime nexus and the problematique of regional governance. Useful insights for addressing similar problems in other regions of the world.' Gordon Mace, Interamerican Studies Centre, Laval University, Canada 'The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created the largest free trade area in the world, but created few effective institutions for collective decision-making. As a result, the region lacks mechanisms for dealing with the joint problems that inevitably result from increased economic interaction. In this important volume, distinguished contributors from the three countries provide insight into how Canada, the United States and Mexico are dealing with these North American problems in the absence of meaningful North American governance.' Laura Macdonald, Carleton University, Canada '...provides valuable insights into the fate of the North American project at a time when the momentum towards deepening continental integration, broadly defined, has clearly stalled. As an eclectic trilateral collaboration, it sheds light on the variety of numerous and still evolving transsovereign challenges to governance in this region and should be welcomed by many across the interdisciplinary community of North American studies.' Jeffrey Ayres, Saint Michael's College, United States 'For Australian security professionals, including members of the ADF, National Solutions to Trans-Border Problems is a useful addition to understanding how free-trade arrangements may enhance or detract from national security issues.' Australian Defence Force Journal

About the Author

Professor, Isidro Morales, Instituto TecnolÃ3gico y Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), Campus Santa Fe, Mexico