The North American idea
Subtitle: a vision of a continental future
By: Robert Pastor
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Oxford University Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Oxford; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 264
ISBN-13: 9780199782413
Subjects: Canada; Free trade; Canada. 1992 Oct. 7.; Economic integration
Description: "In its first seven years, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) tripled trade and quintupled foreign investment among the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, increasing its share of the world economy. In 2001, however, North America peaked. Since then, trade has slowed among the three, manufacturing has shrunk, and illegal migration and drug-related violence have soared. At the same time, Europe caught up, and China leaped ahead. In The North American Idea, eminent scholar and policymaker Robert A. Pastor explains that NAFTA's mandate was too limited to address the new North American agenda. Instead of offering bold initiatives like a customs union to expand trade, leaders of the three nations thought small. Interest groups stalemated the small ideas while inhibiting the bolder proposals, and the governments accomplished almost nothing.   To overcome this resistance and reinvigorate the continent, the leaders need to start with an idea based on a principle of interdependence. Pastor shows how this idea--once woven into the national consciousness of the three countries--could mobilize public support for continental solutions to problems like infrastructure and immigration that have confounded each nation working on its own. Providing essential historical context and challenging readers to view the continent in a new way, The North American Idea combines an expansive vision with a detailed blueprint for a more integrated, dynamic, and equitable North America"--

"In The North American Idea, eminent scholar and policy-maker Robert A. Pastor dissects the failure of NAFTA and argues that, to re-invigorate North America's economy, our leaders need to start with an idea based on a principle of interdependence. If one country fails, all three are harmed, and if one grows, they all benefit. Drawing on first-hand experience as a policy-maker and analyst, Pastor shows how this idea--once woven into the national consciousness of the three countries--could mobilize public support for continental solutions to problems that have confounded each nation working on its own"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note:; title: Foreword; title: Part I: Should We Fear North America?; title: Chapter 1: A Pi©łata for Pandering Pundits; title: Chapter 2: North America's Genetic Code; title: Chapter 3: Who Speaks for North America?; title: Part II: Trespassing; title: Chapter 4: Transcending the Borders; title: Chapter 5: Speed Bumps, Potholes, and Roadblocks on the NAFTA Superhighway; title: Part III: The North American Imperative; title: Chapter 6: A North American Community - A Vision; title: Chapter 7: New Policies for North America's 21st Century - A Blueprint; title: Acknowledgements.