Sovereignty, NAFTA loom large at summit

The leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the US face anxieties at home about weaker national sovereignty.

from the August 22, 2007 edition

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•In Mexico, age-old worries about American interference in internal affairs have spiked recently with discussion of a plan for increased US assistance in fighting Mexico's drug gangs. At the same time, members of Mexico's Congress have railed against lost control of internal affairs to the SPP process, which some say is dominated by the more-powerful US.

In the US, discussion of lost sovereignty as a result of advancing NAFTA integration – a discussion that is particularly strong on anti-immigration websites and blogs – has become so pervasive that the White House has taken the unusual step of providing its own rebuttal on a special "myths vs. facts" Web page about the SPP. The site labels as "myth," for example, that North America is headed toward a common currency.

But some critics say the Bush administration has brought the rumors and speculations on itself by conducting meetings on the SPP's implementation away from public scrutiny. Of particular concern is a North American forum in Canada last September, the minutes of which were labeled "not for public release." Later obtained by the watchdog group Judicial Watch through a Freedom of Information Act request, the minutes included the use of the expression "evolution by stealth" to describe how "the concept of North America" might best move forward.

While the concerns about lack of transparency in NAFTA relations are real, some experts say that growing concerns in the US about illegal immigration are the big motivation behind the anti-NAFTA boom. "For better or worse, these concerns are expressed in terms of Mexican immigration," says Mr. Tinker-Salas.

He notes that when Americans worry about "Mexican trucks careening down our freeways with bad brakes" – a reference to a measure under the SPP that would open the border to Mexican truck transport – fears of more Mexicans taking American jobs are not far behind.

At the same time, when Mexicans see the anti-immigration discussion in the US, they feel they've been hoodwinked once again. An executive order by Bush earlier this month that seeks to tighten immigration controls in the wake of congres­sional failure to enact immigration reform is one example for them of the reality of American control of their destiny.

"For many Mexicans, NAFTA was a matter of integration, an agreement that would put relations on more of an equal footing," says Tinker-Salas. "But now it's very clear to them that things are back to the usual, that Mexicans are being scapegoated once again as the source of all of America's ills."

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