Posted on 01/18/2006 8:13:56 PM PST by UpHereEh
During the past year, media usually oblivious to North American developments focused on increasing tension among the NAFTA partners. In March 2005, after Ottawa's decision not to join the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) program, Time columnist Stephen Handelman wrote, "Canada's stock seems be hovering at North Korea level in Washington." U.S. demands on passports, the Senate's vote to keep the border shut to Canadian cattle, alleged American gun trafficking and, above all, Washington's efforts to evade the NAFTA ruling on softwood lumber led to a Canadian tsunami of righteous indignation. While former Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy urged Canadians to consider withdrawing from NAFTA, others suggested shutting down hydrocarbon exports until America shaped up on softwood. As the Canadian election campaign opened, it seemed that the prime minister was running against the United States -- and that U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins was deep in the fray.
Yet, despite this mix of genuine grievances and political posturing, we see substantial movement toward a more efficient North American economic system.
Reports from the Security and Prosperity Partnership Working Groups set up after the Bush-Fox-Martin meeting in Waco last March illustrated a wide array of activities taking place under the political-journalistic radar. These include, for example, a new framework agreement to encourage trans-border online business, the implementation of modifications of rules of origin covering many products, a memorandum of understanding on information exchange and cooperation on public health and safety protection of consumer products and even a harmonized approach to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE or Mad Cow disease). There were agreements to develop a trilateral Regulatory Cooperation Framework by 2007, to pursue a North American Steel Strategy, to create a trilateral Automotive Partnership Council of North America and to undertake an accelerated program to promote mutual recognition of results from testing laboratories.
Perhaps more important are the myriad of business- and community-driven initiatives underway to expand and improve cross-border links. Specialist groups such as the Can-Am Border Trade Alliance provide a critical voice insisting that security and efficiency are not incompatible. From the Detroit River International Crossing Project to the improved Lacolle-Champlain Border Crossing and the East-West Maine Highway Study -- to name a very few -- business and local groups are pressing for new transportation and border infrastructure. The same goes for developments along trade corridors, such as deepening entrepreneurial ties among Winnipeg, Kansas City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico's deep-water Pacific ports. Indeed, Mexico plans to open its first foreign based customs clearing facility in Kansas City in 2006, 1,000 miles from the border.
How much of all of this will actually lead to concrete results is unclear. But two conclusions are evident.
One is that this movement is driven by deepening interdependence. The political economy of North America is no longer composed of three national economies, but rather of links among production clusters and distribution hubs across the continent -- links resting on new cross-border alignments among businesses, communities and local and state-provincial governments.
The second is that the current two-tier process in which national leaders kick each other in the shins while businesses and bureaucrats in federal, state and municipal governments and community groups squirrel away to repair problems in the North American system is unacceptable.
Unacceptable because, despite these efforts to overcome the "tyranny of small differences," the step-by-step approach lacks the coherence needed now. North American economic integration has been driven by corporate strategies and structures. Now, limits to this bottom-up process have been reached and clear decisions are required on key issues of security, borders, transportation, energy and immigration. At this point, the incremental approach is simply not enough.
Transportation is a good example. A huge amount of work is underway on borders, ports, hubs and corridors. But despite billions of dollars being spent on highways alone, for example, we are no closer to a rational, efficient North American transportation system that will support the expansion of trade in the next decade.
Integration-by-stealth is also unacceptable. NAFTA quickly became the lightning rod for every fear about globalization and if we hope to get beyond this, these concerns must be confronted. The time has come to examine carefully what is happening in North America, to explore what our interests are in this emerging continental system, and to open a dialogue about different, even competing, visions of North America. The dialogue should involve perspectives from different regions, different economic and social sectors, and those who oppose as well as support integration. The process must get outside of the beltways -- it must give voice to community and economic leaders who are most deeply involved in this new system. And while some work has been done (for example, on a North American customs union) we need to promote investigation that probes more deeply into the evolving shape of the North American system.
We believe it is in Canada's interest to initiate this dialogue, and to articulate clearly what a North America would look like that enhances Canadians' values and interests. We believe Canada has much to gain from a well-functioning, inclusive and secure North American economic system and much to lose if it fails. Without some overall sense of where we are going and why, the many steps now underway may not lead anywhere.
Stephen Blank is a professor of international business at Pace University and Director of the PanAmerican Partnership for Business Education; Stephanie R. Golob is a professor of political science at Baruch College.
editor@embassymag.ca
Canada ping!
A google search of the "East-West Maine Highway" got me one hit - a mention of the project in a report by New York State. I've observed this in Canadians - the dream, followed by... more dream. I think that prediliction is also what drives the anti-American talk, too. It's easy to hate the Americans, imaginative to wonder what greatness could have been achieved without the Americans on the doorstep... and then watch "The Simpsons" on Buffalo television and decide, after all, that the citizens of the United States are all right, sort of, although that Bush fella is really awful. This writer dreams of a powerful Canadian infrastructure connected to the United States, and yet one of the three projects barely gets a blip on google. Actually, that dreaming makes the country a charming place to visit - friendly people, clean streets, obviously and totally supported by the Americans next door.
Interdependence ping....
Thanks for the ping.
NAFTA CAFTA FTAA PING
Thanks for the ping.
I noted, with some dismay, a thread posted some days ago, which talked about the repression of free speech in the EU in regards to HOMOSEXUALITY. So I did some research and came up with some interesting materials on their website, EUROPA.
Studying the history of the EU, we see that this organization started initially as a business or trade agreement, but has now mushroomed into a quasi socialist political tyranny...and the libs in the EU love it and want it that way.
So, why would a CONSERVATIVE person, who is not blinded by philosophy or ideology, not be concerned about forming a similar new arrangement here in the Western Hemisphere, modeled after the EU, and led by liberal socialist internaitionalists...the same sorts who lead the EU now.
In order to defeat this proposed North American quasi national alliance IMO, we must study the EU and start drawing parallells to its history and philosophy on these threads.
I've been looking into EU agriculture.
Its interesting, as a offshoot of "free trade" that foreign direct investment in our entertainment industry has grown to over 70% according to statistics posted by B4Ranch. Could this explain why so many unAmerican, awful movies are being made that no one goes to the theater to see? And also why they are winning so many 'industry' awards? There could be a correlation there.
And with our news media foreign ownership, its clear that the best interests of the American people are not being met. Re, the story about Fox news and reports about the Saudis for one.
What a load of globaloney.
This community crap is just a way to get around the Constitution by the domestic enemies of America.
Trilateral committees are way worse than the flea circus that congress is now. We occaisionally do get rid of the bozos in congress. We'll never even know the names of the people who will run our lives under this plan.
Close the damned borders and if and when Canada or Mexico can show they can hack it, and are willing to come in under OUR system and OUR Constitution, and PAY THEIR OWN WAY, then maybe we'll talk.
Why Americans go to see unAmerican movies is beyond me. They certainly are on TV and in the theaters these days and worse, they are having a negative effect on patriotism.
Just to think that this crap is coming out of Hollywood makes me want to put a wall around the place. But then I want to do the same to Washington DC half the time. That's another breeding ground for unAmerican activities.
Conservatives are in more trouble than most FReepers realize. I don't think 15% of Republicans are Conservatives anymore. I know the President sure isn't.
Bushy the Rooster
John, the farmer, was in the fertilized egg business. He had several hundred young layers, hens, called pullets and eight or ten roosters, whose job was to fertilize the eggs.
The farmer kept records and any rooster that didn't perform went into the soup pot and was replaced. That took an awful lot of his time so he bought a set of tiny bells and attached them to his roosters.
Each bell had a different tone so John could tell from a distance which rooster was performing. Now he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report simply by listening to the bells.
The farmer's favorite rooster was old Bushy, a very fine specimen he was, too, but on this particular morning John noticed old Bushy's bell hadn't rung at all! John went to investigate. The other roosters were chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing. The pullets, hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover. But to Farmer John's amazement Bushy had his bell in his beak so it couldn't ring. He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.
John was so proud of Bushy, he entered him in the county fair and Bushy became an overnight sensation among the judges.
The result ??.... The judges not only awarded Bushy the "No Bell Piece Prize," but they also awarded him the "Pulletsurprise" as well. Clearly, Bushy was a politician in the making. Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention?
HOWLING with laughter! Thank You!
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