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Interregionalism across the Atlantic Space pp 131–147Cite as

The North Atlantic: A Case of Bicontinental Regionalism

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Part of the United Nations University Series on Regionalism book series (UNSR,volume 15)

Abstract

Form and content of interregional relations reflect the dynamics generated by the specific regionalism existing in the regions considered. Nowhere is interregionalism’s subordination to regionalism clearer than in the North Atlantic. The experiences with regionalism of Europe and North America differ considerably, as the former has experimented radically in regional integration while the latter has made only modest steps. Consequently, interregionalism provides for a poor analytical grid to understand North Atlantic relations. The latter are better grasped instead if a regionalism-informed conceptual framework is applied, as after all the North Atlantic displays features that fit a regionalism prism. After outlining a conceptual framework to understand regions, the chapter briefly compares Europe’s and North America’s regionalism before delving into the analysis of the North Atlantic as a sui generis bicontinental region.

Keywords

  • Atlantic
  • Interregionalism
  • Regional organisations
  • Regionalism
  • Regions

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The concept of region, as it defines a separate level of governance, is applicable to subnational governance too (Van Langenhove 2012: 18).

  2. 2.

    The literature on the security dilemma is vast. Our analysis uses Alexander Wendt’s understanding of it as a social construction resulting from the intersubjective understanding of states rather than an objective state of reality that reflects the supposedly anarchic nature of international relations (Wendt 1992: 397; see also Wendt 1999).

  3. 3.

    The EU and Mexico signed a trade agreement in 1997 that was later upgraded into a free trade area for goods and services. The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a more ambitious document, is more recent (2014).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), Rome, Italy

    Riccardo Alcaro

  2. German Marshall Fund, Washington, DC, USA

    Patrick Reilly

Authors
  1. Riccardo Alcaro
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  2. Patrick Reilly
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Correspondence to Riccardo Alcaro .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Frank Mattheis

  2. School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Andréas Litsegård

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Alcaro, R., Reilly, P. (2018). The North Atlantic: A Case of Bicontinental Regionalism. In: Mattheis, F., Litsegård, A. (eds) Interregionalism across the Atlantic Space. United Nations University Series on Regionalism, vol 15. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62908-7_8

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