North America Needs to Be Revamped

The project of greater North American integration, conceived in the 1980s and 1990s, envisioned a region of shared prosperity, growing interdependence, and stronger cross-border ties. That vision has been undermined by a series of shocks: the security crackdown following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the migration crisis at the U.S.-Mexican border, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which eliminated most cross-border travel for the better part of two years. While relations have improved with the departure of former U.S. President Donald Trump—who was openly contemptuous of Mexico and Canada—the damage goes much deeper than just one president’s whims. U.S. President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador may wax on about North American unity and common purpose. But the project of a stronger, more united continent is now on life support and needs a new vision to revive it.

There is a way to build North America back better, but it will have to start with a fundamental change in priorities. For the past three decades, the three governments have been singularly focused on creating a more seamless continental market. What they forgot about was people. The dirty secret of North American integration is that it was