Posted on 05/10/2007 1:05:21 PM PDT by BGHater
Lou Dobbs, Patrick Buchanan, Jerome Corsi and many of their readers have repeatedly accused me of:
* Promoting a North American Union;
* Promoting a North American currency called the "Amero";
* Seeking to dissolve the United States, erase our borders and discard the Constitution; and
* Being the principal author of the Bush administration's "Security and Prosperity Partnership" and strategy toward North America.
Some have written that they have drawn these conclusions from reading my book, "Toward a North American Community" (Institute for International Economics, 2001), my article, "North America's Second Decade" (Foreign Affairs, January/Februay 2004), and the Council on Foreign Relations Independent Task Force Report, "Building a North American Community," of which I was one of six co-chairs.
If they had read what I have written, they would know that all the accusations above are false. I don't want to speculate as to why these individuals would repeat unfounded charges, or why this news site would continue to repeat them. Instead, let me summarize my views on the future of North America, recognizing that my brief distillation does not adequately capture my analysis or proposals, but at least it is a fair summary. (This stands in contrast with those who twist my work to make their points rather than mine. For those who want to review my work, visit the website of the Center for North American Studies and its publications.)
First, while some want to build formidable barriers to keep out Mexico and Canada, I would argue the opposite: We need to find new ways to relate in a positive way to our two neighbors. The reason is simple: No two nations are as important to the United States as Canada and Mexico. Our two largest trading partners are not England and China, but Canada and Mexico. The two largest sources of energy imports are not Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, but Canada and Mexico. For the past three decades, Mexico has been, by far, the largest source of both legal and illegal migration to the United States. There are roughly 500 million legal crossings of both borders each year, and the preferred tourist destination of Canadians, Mexicans and Americans is their neighbors in North America.
Second, while some view the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, as a failure that should be repealed, I believe it was a success for what it was designed to do, but it is no longer enough to cope with the challenges of an enlarged market and a more competitive international system. NAFTA succeeded in reducing barriers and tripled trade and investment among the three countries, making it the largest free-trade area in the world in terms of gross product. It failed because we need to do more than just reduce trade and investment barriers. It did not address the problem of illegal migration; it ignored the issue of border security; it failed to reduce the income gap between Mexico and its northern neighbors; it created no institutions or consultation procedures that would manage the problems in the relationship and improve people's lives in a demonstrable way. That is why I propose a "North American Community," whose premise is that all three sovereign countries benefit when each of the countries makes progress, and all suffer when one fails. Trade benefits all three countries, and a more prosperous Mexico in the long-term means less illegal migration. But "trade" is not enough to address problems that emerge from an expanding market.
Third, I do not propose a North American Union; I propose a North American Community. They are very different. A Union – like the United States – is a merger of states into a unified central government. A Community is composed of three sovereign governments that seek to strengthen bonds of cooperation. Each government – according to its constitutional procedures – retains the power to decide whether and how to cooperate. A "North American Union" could not be created by "stealth," as some fear. Indeed, any significant initiative to strengthen cooperation would require a wide-ranging and public debate and approval by Congress of all three countries.
Fourth, because of the asymmetry in power and wealth, Mexico and Canada have always been wary of getting too close to the United States, while Washington has often treated its neighbors with arrogance. For these reasons, the real problem in North America is the opposite of what worries Dobbs, Buchanan and Corsi. The problem is not that a North American Union will suddenly emerge; the problem is that there will be little or no progress on a continental-wide agenda that could help the region become more secure and economically competitive. The critics claim that the Council on Foreign Relations Task Force on North America prompted the three governments to begin the "Security and Prosperity Partnership" in the spring of 2005. If so, that would be a compliment, except that initiative is very timid, little more than an administrative exercise that measures progress by the number of meetings bureaucrats schedule.
Fifth, I have offered numerous proposals to build a North American Community, which would be very different from the European Union, and I welcome debate on any or all. First, we need an institution – not the supra-national, intrusive bureaucracies of Europe, but a lean advisory group of five senior leaders from each of the three countries. It could be called a North American Commission or Council. Its members could be selected by Congress and the president, and its function would be to propose an agenda, proposals and ideas for the governments and people of the three countries to debate and consider at annual summit meetings.
Such proposals could include a Customs Union (common external tariff) to eliminate needless rules of origin, a North American Investment Fund to reduce the development gap with Mexico, a North American Competition Commission to prevent continental monopolies, a North American Tribunal on Trade and Investment to replace the ad hoc and weak mechanism set up under NAFTA, a North American Plan for Infrastructure and Transportation, and more effective way to stop illegal migration while facilitating the legitimate flow of people.
I know some desperately fear a North American Super-Corridor, but two-thirds of all the trade among the three countries are on roads, and despite the fact that trade has tripled, there have been almost no new roads built. We need to coordinate closely with our neighbors to build more roads – not fewer – as part of a wider transportation plan.
With regard to currencies, there is little prospect of a unified currency because all three governments are too committed to the status quo, but this is a good moment to study alternative options. Europe took decades and made many mistakes before they implemented the euro. We ought to learn from those lessons and discuss the issues at some length before considering any proposal.
In summary, there is no prospect of a North American Union or currency, but there are compelling needs for the three sovereign nations of North America to modernize their relationships, and there are good reasons to explore new paths to improve the lives of all the peoples of North America. The greatest tragedy would be if the fear-mongers were to discourage people from imagining a better relationship with our neighbors and a North American Community.
I'm sorry, he lost me right here.
This thread will be a riot. I’ll come back to it after Happy Hour.
Oh?
Isn't that the very reason for proposing a larval prototype in the guise of a "community"?
Ok, here ya go.
Depressing American and Canadian middle class wages is profitable,
Create philosophy and rationales to implement. To gain liberal acquiesence imply foreigners won’t like them if they don’t submit.
End of story.
Target now in the periscope - the American trucker.
PING a LING
He denies the charges and then turns around and states the same goals only slightly differently.
Sounds like distinctions without any real differences, to me.
But hedgetrimmer said it made all illegals into legal citizens of America. I guess she was wrong.
A “Community”? Just one more step closer to a “Union”. He talks about trade. People in Mexico are so poor they can’t buy our products. Where is the trade? That’s why we have 12 million plus here.
Read this real carefully. It’s admitting that control of us, via Canada and Mexico is what is being considered. He says he doesn’t want an “Amero” currency, but.....we should consider it.
We both read this exactly the same. This guy isn’t even smart enough to hide his real intentions.
Whenever I point out how many billions of dollars’ worth of goods Mexicans buy from us every year, and how the figure is growing more rapidly than practically every other export-figure out there, the subject always changes to how much we buy. Why is that?
Borders, language, culture! Illegals go home! The article is spouting liberal tripe whose aim is eliminating America as a defined country, language and culture.
You and I know the reason: certain FReepers just hate Mexicans.
“First, we need an institution – not the supra-national, intrusive bureaucracies of Europe, but a lean advisory group of five senior leaders from each of the three countries.”
No, we need governments to get the hell out of the way so individuals can engage in free trade at their pleasure, without let, without some unelected bureaucratic hack reading from a rule book and without government hindrance so individuals may trade with whomever or whatever they wish.
Governments, composed mostly of self-serving totalitarians, looking for power, easily bribed and generally stupid, with absolutely no interest in promoting the individual and his God-given sovereignty, are incapable of promoting or understanding free trade.
Government has one simple function in trade - to protect national security. Period. Exclamation point.
I’d like to teach the world to sing,
in perfect harmony . . .
snow-white turtle doves, and sumpin’ sumpin’
and some other stuff.
Math is hard.
We live on a continent whose three countries possess the assets to make it the strongest, most prosperous and self-sufficient area on Earth. Within the borders of this North American continent are the food, resources, technology and undeveloped territory which, properly managed, could dramatically improve the quality of life of all its inhabitants.
It is no accident that this unmatched potential for progress and prosperity exists in three countries with such long-standing heritages of free government. A developing closeness among Canada, Mexico and the United States--a North American accord--would permit achievement of that potential in each country beyond that which I believe any of them--strong as they are--could accomplish in the absence of such cooperation. In fact, the key to our own future security may lie in both Mexico and Canada becoming much stronger countries than they are today.
No one can say at this point precisely what form future cooperation among our three countries will take. But if I am elected President, I would be willing to invite each of our neighbors to send a special representative to our government to sit in on high level planning sessions with us, as partners, mutually concerned about the future of our continent. First, I would immediately seek the views and ideas of Canadian and Mexican leaders on this issue, and work tirelessly with them to develop closer ties among our peoples. It is time we stopped thinking of our nearest neighbors as foreigners.
By developing methods of working closely together, we will lay the foundations for future cooperation on a broader and more significant scale. We will put to rest any doubts of those cynical enough to believe that the United States would seek to dominate any relationship among our three countries, or foolish enough to think that the governments and peoples of Canada and Mexico would ever permit such domination to occur. I for one, am confident that we can show the world by example that the nations of North America are ready, within the context of an unswerving commitment to freedom, to see new forms of accommodation to meet a changing world. A developing closeness between the United States, Canada and Mexico would serve notice on friends and foe alike that we were prepared for a long haul, looking outward again and confident of our future; that together we are going to create jobs, to generate new fortunes of wealth for many and provide a legacy for the children of each of our countries. Two hundred years ago, we taught the world that a new form of government, created out of the genius of man to cope with his circumstances, could succeed in bringing a measure of quality to human life previously thought impossible.
Now let us work toward the goal of using the assets of this continent, its resources, technology, and foodstuffs in the most efficient ways possible for the common good of all its people. It may take the next 100 years but we can dare to dream that at some future date a map of the world might show the North American continent as one in which the people's commerce of its three strong countries flow more freely across their present borders than they do today.
Great video. Has anyone put it on YouTube?
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