Abstract
NAFTA is most often judged by economic standards. However, it contains security implications for Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. on different levels. The U.S. is the major power which defined the terms of the agreement. Security agreements tend to be bilateral, rather than trilateral. NAFTA has no institutionalised infrastructure that is comparable to the political system of the EU. Liberalism and neorealism offer explanations for the design of this free trade agreement; however, this paper finds more arguments for the neorealist explanation.
Zusammenfassung
Das Freihandelsabkommen NAFTA, ebenso wie das neu ausgehandelte USMCA, wird gemeinhin als reines Wirtschaftsabkommen wahrgenommen. Es enthält allerdings Sicherheitsaspekte für Kanada, Mexiko und die USA auf verschiedenen Ebenen. Die USA bestimmt als Supermacht das Abkommen wesentlich. Sicherheitsabkommen zwischen den NAFTA-Staaten sind im Wesentlichen bilateral, selten trilateral. Eine institutionalisierte Ebene, ähnlich jener der EU, ist in den vergangenen zwei Jahrzehnten nicht entstanden. Liberalismus und Neorealismus bieten als Theorien der Internationalen Beziehungen unterschiedliche Erklärungen für die Ausgestaltung dieses Freihandelsabkommens an, wobei die Abhandlung im Wesentlichen der neorealistischen Argumentation folgt.
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Notes
In English: Southern Border Program.
References
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Schlegel, C. Geopolitics and Security in NAFTA 2.0 – The United States is Leading the Way. Z Außen Sicherheitspolit 12, 237–250 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12399-019-00767-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12399-019-00767-8