In "Politics in North America: Redefining Continental Relations," prominent authors from Canada, the United States, and Mexico explore the politics of redefining the institutional, economic, geographic, and cultural boundaries of North America.

The intricate essence of North American politics has been resourcefully captured and explored in this book through the lens of regional and continental dynamics, an approach that is commonly referred to but hardly achieved with the political sensibility and theoretical completion as does Politics in North America. -- Jose Luis Valdes-Ugalde, Director, Centro de Investigaciones sobre America del Norte, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico This path-breaking, comprehensive collection establishes a new benchmark for the emerging study of transnational politics, economics, and society in North America. Drawing on multiple disciplines, deep historical awareness, rigorous data, and innovative analytical frameworks, the Canadian, Mexican, and US contributors paint a panoramic view of North America as an increasingly, and surprisingly, interconnected world region. Their analyses make fascinating reading and elaborate compelling new approaches to a wide array of historical, political, cultural, and economic questions. -- Jefferey Sellers, University of Southern California This is an unusual and much-needed book that views North America as a unit. It considers institutional and economic relations within Mexico, the United States, and Canada as well as political and economic relations among all three. This refreshing perspective offers new insights about all three nations as well as about the relationship among them. With respect to the US for example, it asks us to look at the US both from the outside as well as from within. The book is well-written and accessible, and there is something here for both comparativists and students of international relations. The book will be helpful to scholars as well as to graduate and undergraduate students in either field. -- Leslie E. Anderson, University of Florida Politics in North America: Redefining Continental Relations provides a comprehensive overview of the critical political and cultural issues that characterize the evolving North American relationship. It is refreshing to read the work of some scholars who are new to the field as well as that by more established analysts. -- Stephen J. Randall, FRSC, Director, Institute for United States Policy Research, University of Calgary

Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction, Radha Jhappan and Yasmeen Abu-Laban Part I: History and the Politics of Defining and Redefining North America Introduction 1. The "New World": Legacies of European Colonialism in North America, Radha Jhappan 2. Nation-building and Regionalism in the US, Canada, and Mexico, Claude Couture 3. The Roots of North American Economic Development, Teresa Gutierrez-Haces Part II: Redefining Institutional Relations: Continents, States, and Federalism Introduction 4. The Governance of North America: NAFTA's Complex Institutional Structure, Stephen Clarkson and Roopa Rangaswami 5. Birth of a Union: Lessons for North America from the European Union, Vincent Della Sala 6. Globalization and the Democratic Deficit: Challenging Times for Canada's Political Institutions, Samuel A. Bottomley 7. Political Institutions in the United States, Ross E. Burkhart 8. Political Institutions in Mexico, Jose A. Crespo, Norma Borrego, and Ana Luz Ruelas 9. National Institutions in North America: US, Canadian, and Mexican Federalism, Francois Rocher and Gordon DiGiacomo Part III: Redefining Economic and Social Relations: Public Policies and Human Rights after NAFTA Introduction 10. North American First Peoples: Self-Determination or Economic Development? Julian Castro-Rea and Isabel Altamirano-Jimenez 11. Default Convergence? Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in North America, David Schneiderman 12. Under Pressure: The Impasses of North American Labour Movements, Gregory Albo and Dan Crow 13. Ragged Cruelty? Social Policy Transformations in North America, Lois Harder and Marcus Taylor 14. Ten Years After: Continental Free Trade and Environmental Policy in North America, Luc Juillet Part IV: Redefining Spatial Relations: Post 9/11 Borders, Migration, and National Security Introduction 15. Migration in North America, Yasmeen Abu-Laban 16. From the 49th Parallel to the Ri-o Grande: US Homeland Security and North American Borders, Christina Gabriel and Laura Macdonald 17. North American Security and Foreign Policy: Does a Trilateral Community Exist? Athanasios Hristoulas and Stephane Roussel Part V: Redefining Cultural Relations: Towards a North American Community? Introduction 18. Economic Integration and North American Political Cultures, Stephen White and Neil Nevitte 19. Civil Society Organizing Under Continental Integration: The Promise and Limits of Community-Building "From Below," Jeffrey M. Ayres 20. Performing North America as Community, Janine Brodie 21. Beyond NAFTA: The Emergence and Future of North America, Robert A. Pastor Notes on Contributors Index