Perimeter Security and the Future of North American Integration

Out of the ashes of the defunct Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), the U.S. has pursued simultaneous bilateral agendas with both Canada and Mexico, in an effort to further deepen North American economic and security integration. While the NAFTA framework remains intact, a recent announcement by Canada and the U.S. to work towards a trade and security perimeter agreement without Mexico, has some questioning the future of the whole trilateral process.

The growing violence and insecurity in Mexico, along with other challenges, have altered the trilateral agenda. As a result, the focus has further shifted to a dual-bilateral approach in managing continental border and economic concerns. This is not to say that trilateralism has been abandoned. Under the right circumstances, these parallel bilateral initiatives could converge into one to create a fully integrated North American security perimeter that includes not only Canada and the U.S., but Mexico as well.

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