It was not in Britain s self-interest to relinquish control of the pound, and Margaret Thatcher acceded to the EMS only after many years of trying to prevent it, he added. Likewise, according to Gruber, the North American Free Trade Agreement demonstrates a case in which a signatory, Mexico, was presented with a fait accompli by the United States and Canada. Mexico was not coerced into joining, Gruber said, but its free trade overture was mostly a defensive maneuver. Much the same could be said for other Latin-American countries, though here, too, I suspect the fear of exclusion will eventually become overwhelming, and they ll fall into line as well. Gruber s emphasis on absolute losers is a marked departure from the conventional wisdom among students of international cooperation.
Political scientists divide up into camps.
Realists think that states can t trust each other enough to cooperate, at least not for any sustained period of time, Gruber said. Liberals, on the other hand, think cooperation is perfectly rational, since it helps states mitigate collective action problems and realize mutual gains. Gruber s response is a pox on both their camps. He said the realists are too skeptical, and the liberals explanation is based on a flawed understanding of power. Copyright 2000-2001 by The University of Chicago .