Sunday, June 29, 2008

Is NAFTA Road About Trade — Or Treachery?

(Gabriela Rico — Arizona Daily Star)

It is a steel and concrete corridor that will run right through the Old Pueblo, connecting Mexico City to Edmonton, Alberta.

Its purpose is to facilitate trade among the three countries and minimize traffic and congestion for residents. Or is it evidence of a move afoot to intertwine the three North American countries and blur the lines of sovereignty? That’s a matter of opinion.

The Canamex Corridor, as defined by Congress in the 1995 National Highway Systems Designation Act, is a joint effort involving Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Utah and Montana.

The transportation portion calls for the development of a continuous four-lane roadway from Mexico through the U.S. into Canada.

There are two other trade corridors: One runs from the southern Mexico city of Manzanillo, Colima, through Laredo, Texas, to Canada’s Prairie-to-Ports Gateway & Inland Port, anchored by Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Regina in Saskatchewan. The other corridor veers east from Laredo through Kansas City up to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

As officials in all three countries grapple with the logistics of creating such thoroughfares, there is growing concern that the so-called “superhighways” are a visible step toward the blending of economies, cultures and resources. Read more.