Twenty years after NAFTA, the consensus seems to be that the regional project in North America is dead. The trade agreement was never followed up by new institutions that might cement a more ambitious regional community. The Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), launched with some fanfare in 2005, was quietly discontinued in 2009. And new cooperative ventures like the US-Canada Beyond the Border talks and the US-Mexico Merida Initiative suggest that the three governments have reverted to the familiar, pre-NAFTA pattern of informal, incremental bilateralism. One could argue, however, that NAFTA itself has been buried, and yet the region somehow lives on, albeit in a form very different from regional integration in other parts of the world. A diverse group of contributors, from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with experience in academia, government service, think tanks and the private sector bring to bear a sophisticated and much needed examination of regional governance in North America, its historical origins, its connection to the regional distribution of power and the respective governments' domestic institutions, and the variance of its forms and function across different issue areas. The editors begin by surveying the literature on North American regional politics, matching up developments there with parallel debates and controversies in the broader literatures on comparative regional integration and international policy coordination more generally. Six contributors later explore the mechanisms of policy coordination in specific issue-areas, each with an emphasis on a particular set of actors, and with its own way of characterizing the relevant political and diplomatic dynamics. Chapters on the political context for regional policy coordination follow leading to concluding remarks on the future of North America. At a time when scholarly interest in North America seems to be waning, even while important and interesting political and economic developments are taking place, this volume will reinvigorate the study of North America as a region, to better understand its past, present and future.

Twenty years after NAFTA, the consensus seems to be that the regional project in North America is dead. The trade agreement was never followed up by new institutions that might cement a more ambitious regional community. The Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), launched with some fanfare in 2005, was quietly discontinued in 2009. And new cooperative ventures like the US-Canada Beyond the Border talks and the US-Mexico Merida Initiative suggest that the three governments have reverted to the familiar, pre-NAFTA pattern of informal, incremental bilateralism. One could argue, however, that NAFTA itself has been buried, and yet the region somehow lives on, albeit in a form very different from regional integration in other parts of the world. A diverse group of contributors, from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with experience in academia, government service, think tanks and the private sector bring to bear a sophisticated and much needed examination of regional governance in North America, its historical origins, its connection to the regional distribution of power and the respective governments' domestic institutions, and the variance of its forms and function across different issue areas. The editors begin by surveying the literature on North American regional politics, matching up developments there with parallel debates and controversies in the broader literatures on comparative regional integration and international policy coordination more generally. Six contributors later explore the mechanisms of policy coordination in specific issue-areas, each with an emphasis on a particular set of actors, and with its own way of characterizing the relevant political and diplomatic dynamics. Chapters on the political context for regional policy coordination follow leading to concluding remarks on the future of North America. At a time when scholarly interest in North America seems to be waning, even while important and interesting political and economic developments are taking place, this volume will reinvigorate the study of North America as a region, to better understand its past, present and future.

At the turn of the millennium, Mexico seemed to have finally found its path to political and economic modernization; a state which had been deeply embedded in society was being pulled out, with new political leaders allowing market forces to play a greater role in guiding the nation's economic development, and allowing old patron-client networks to crumble. At the same time, many hoped that political and legal reforms would increase the state's capacity to provide prosperity, security, and equity for its citizens. In the midst of this historic transformation, however, Mexico was confronted with an urgent new policy challenge. Internationally recognized experts from the academic and think-tank communities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada consider the origins of the current crisis in Mexico, and the nature and effectiveness of the Calderon government's response. Simply not another book on North American regional security, this volume uses Joel Migdal's concept of "the state in society" to provide a refreshingly clear and accessible exploration of political change in the developing world. The engagement with the US and Canada gives the reader a chance to observe the dynamics of persuasion across the developmental divide. Four key questions structure the study: What does the ongoing security crisis in Mexico tell us about the changing role of the state in society there? What does the changing role of the state tell us about the nature (and intractability) of the crisis? How has the transition to democracy affected the links between the state and organized crime in Mexico, and the state's capacity to contain non-state challengers? What kinds of political and legal reforms are called for, and what effects can we expect them to have on the extent and intensity of violence in Mexico? No other study comprehensively uncovers new conceptual and theoretical insights in each of these areas whilst offering some practical guidance for policy-makers and publics seeking to understand these urgent and complex challenges.

At the turn of the millennium, Mexico seemed to have finally found its path to political and economic modernization; a state which had been deeply embedded in society was being pulled out, with new political leaders allowing market forces to play a greater role in guiding the nation's economic development, and allowing old patron-client networks to crumble. At the same time, many hoped that political and legal reforms would increase the state's capacity to provide prosperity, security, and equity for its citizens. In the midst of this historic transformation, however, Mexico was confronted with an urgent new policy challenge. Internationally recognized experts from the academic and think-tank communities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada consider the origins of the current crisis in Mexico, and the nature and effectiveness of the Calderon government's response. Simply not another book on North American regional security, this volume uses Joel Migdal's concept of "the state in society" to provide a refreshingly clear and accessible exploration of political change in the developing world. The engagement with the US and Canada gives the reader a chance to observe the dynamics of persuasion across the developmental divide. Four key questions structure the study: What does the ongoing security crisis in Mexico tell us about the changing role of the state in society there? What does the changing role of the state tell us about the nature (and intractability) of the crisis? How has the transition to democracy affected the links between the state and organized crime in Mexico, and the state's capacity to contain non-state challengers? What kinds of political and legal reforms are called for, and what effects can we expect them to have on the extent and intensity of violence in Mexico? No other study comprehensively uncovers new conceptual and theoretical insights in each of these areas whilst offering some practical guidance for policy-makers and publics seeking to understand these urgent and complex challenges.

Canadian Foreign Policy, as an academic discipline, is in crisis. Despite its value, CFP is often considered a "stale and pale" subfield of political science with an unfashionably state-centred focus. Canadian Foreign Policy asks why. Practising scholars investigate how they were taught to think about Canada and how they teach the subject themselves. Their inquiry shines a light on issues such as the casualization of academic labour and the relationship between study and policymaking. This nuanced collection offers not only a much-needed assessment of the boundaries, goals, and values of the discipline but also a guide to its revitalization.

Canadian Foreign Policy, as an academic discipline, is in crisis. Despite its value, CFP is often considered a "stale and pale" subfield of political science with an unfashionably state-centred focus. Canadian Foreign Policy asks why. Practising scholars investigate how they were taught to think about Canada and how they teach the subject themselves. Their inquiry shines a light on issues such as the casualization of academic labour and the relationship between study and policymaking. This nuanced collection offers not only a much-needed assessment of the boundaries, goals, and values of the discipline but also a guide to its revitalization.

A legendary treasure...A secret palace...One big adventure When 12-year-old Brock Ford is invited to Africa with his globe-trotting anthropologist uncle Dirk Armstrong, he jumps at the chance to ditch his boring hometown to spend the summer on safari among wild animals and friendly natives. But Brock and Dirk are barely off the train in Nairobi when mysterious artifacts begin to surface which could prove the existence of an ancient lost treasure. It's an adventure that takes them over the Serengeti plain, through an underground Chagga fortress, and up the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro itself. Their discovery might be the greatest archaeological find of the century, or it could trap them within the mountain's volcanic depths forever.

A lost goldmine... A forgotten ghost town... A terrifying creature Alaska is a huge place. Easy for a man to get lost and never be seen again. These words ring in 12-year-old Brock Ford's ears as he embarks for the frozen north with his uncle, world-famous anthropologist Dirk Armstrong. But before long Brock and his new Inuit friends Tanaraq and Kalli put that warning to the test. From a ghost-town saloon with a cryptic message scrawled on its wall to the vast uncharted Alaskan wilderness, Brock must rely on his wits and integrity if he wants to make it back alive. But when he crosses paths with the mysterious half-animal/half-spirit Urayuli, he'll also need a great deal of luck.

Across the sea... Over the desert sand... And into the tomb of a missing mummy When 12-year-old Brock Ford joins his anthropologist uncle Dirk Armstrong on an expedition to Egypt, he never imagines he'll be shipwrecked at sea and thrust into an international mystery before he sees his first pyramid. But ancient curses and missing mummies are nothing compared to the real-life dangers that lurk in the dead of the desert night after a hidden tomb is uncovered. Who is trying to sabotage the expedition? And why? Brock and his dog Sparky race to unravel the secret of an antique scroll before they are permanently sealed in the tomb

Do Canada and the United States share a special relationship, or is this just a face-saving myth, masking dependency and domination? The Politics of Linkage cuts through the rhetoric that clouds this debate by offering detailed accounts of four major bilateral disputes. It shows that the United States has not made coercive linkages between issues. In the early Cold War years, the exercise of American power over Canada was held in check by a genuinely special diplomatic culture but since then has been held back only by interest groups and institutions. This revisionist account of Canada-US relations is essential reading for anyone interested in Canadian politics, American foreign policy, or international diplomacy.

Brian Bow is an associate professor of political science at Dalhousie University and coeditor of An Independent Foreign Policy for Canada? Challenges and Choices for the Future.

Forty years ago, as the United States became increasingly involved in Vietnam, questions were raised in Canada about the relationship between its foreign policy agenda and that of its southern neighbour. Now, with the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is time to raise the same questions: does Canada need an independent foreign policy? Does Canada have the capacity and will to chart its own course?

Divided into sections about the history of Canadian foreign policy, diplomacy, security, economics, decision-making and new policy issues, this collection of prominent political scientists provides valuable and timely perspectives on the state of Canada's international relations in the twenty-first century. Examining pertinent issues such as defence, security, the Arctic, global environmental cooperation, NAFTA, and the post-9/11 world, these accessible and insightful essays are a long-overdue reassessment of Canada and its current role in international affairs. "An Independent Foreign Policy for Canada?" asks the question that is perhaps more important now than forty years ago and supplies answers so pertinent to the twenty-first century.

"Contributors"
Brian Bow
Adam Chapnick
Stephen Clarkson
Patricia Goff
Stephanie R. Golob
Geoffrey Hale
Rob Huebert
Christopher Kukucha
Patrick Lennox
Christopher Sands
Heather A. Smith

Do Canada and the United States share a special relationship, or is this just a face-saving myth, masking dependency and domination? The Politics of Linkage cuts through the rhetoric that clouds this debate by offering detailed accounts of four major bilateral disputes. It shows that the United States has not made coercive linkages between issues. In the early Cold War years, the exercise of American power over Canada was held in check by a genuinely special diplomatic culture but since then has been held back only by interest groups and institutions. This revisionist account of Canada-US relations is essential reading for anyone interested in Canadian politics, American foreign policy, or international diplomacy.