The Rebordering of North America by Andreas Peter;Biersteker Thomas J.;

Author:Andreas, Peter;Biersteker, Thomas J.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2003-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

We do know that the governments of Mexico and Canada struggled hard to be included within the United States’ anti-terrorist defense zone. We know that the voices of business were heard loud and clear within the councils of all three governments, repeating a similar message. It is also clear that NAFTA itself had nothing to offer by way of institutions or processes that might insert themselves usefully in continental decisionmaking, as was proven by the absence of any trilateral summit to address these issues. So we can infer that the politics of post-catastrophe North America will see a reprise of the double dialogue of U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico relations while perpetuating an asymmetrical bilateralism that kept Washington comfortably in control. What Washington wanted would ultimately decide the main issues.

What Washington thought it wanted would be determined by a struggle of many forces. The final impact on Canada and the shape of North America would be directly affected by how prominently, loudly, and effectively the Canadian and Mexican governments inserted themselves into this highly indeterminate situation. Any Ottawa battle for access to Washington's mind would need to activate moderate opinion leaders within the U.S. Success in this effort would likely depend on bringing to bear the skills the Canadian government had learned in wielding soft power within the United States, as when it negotiated a land mines treaty by mobilizing nongovernmental organizations around the world. Canadian diplomats have known for twenty-five years that there is no single recipe for managing the U.S. relationship because there is no single power center in the American system of government.

Canada was still living in 2003 under conditions of high indeterminacy. Renewed terrorist attacks might foster an outcry across the continent for deeper political integration. A sustained exposure to terrorism might alternatively cause Americans to withdraw from both their northern and southern neighbors. NAFTA, for which so many working people laid down their jobs, had little to contribute toward furthering political integration. The border it was supposed to have erased might still become a barricade.

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