Obama’s Arrival Sets North American Integration Adrift

(Embassy)

U.S. President Barack Obama officially takes his place as one of the so-called Three Amigos during the North American leaders’ summit in Mexico this weekend. Yet he will be joining a trilateral alliance that has been in a state of virtual hibernation since his predecessor, George W. Bush, left the scene.

Instead, he and counterparts Stephen Harper and Felipe Calderon will be confronting the reality of a continental alliance adrift and in sore need of political direction and leadership.

With the Bush-era Security and Prosperity Partnership having largely petered out from a lack of direction and a toxic public image, the leaders have a chance to reinvigorate or reinvent the trilateral alliance.

But with three distracted leaders of questionable compatibility, and an apparent lack of a grand vision for the way forward, the future of this forum—and North American integration in general—remains far from certain. […]

Liberal Foreign Affairs critic Bob Rae cautioned against aggressively pursuing continental integration at a time when the “American Congress is in a deeply protectionist mood.”

Pointing to Canada-U.S. trade disputes such as softwood lumber, black liquor and COOL, as well as immigration concerns related to Mexico, he said: “It’s pretty hard to talk about integration when there are such significant barriers to flow of people and of goods and services among the countries.” Read more here.