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Contemporary Border Challenges

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Contemporary Border Challenges

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    1. Contemporary Border Challenges

    5. US-Mexico Border as region Formal region as legal boundary between US and Mexico Functional region wherein current issues define and redefine the region industrialization and urbanization immigration and labor issues drug trafficking and interdiction efforts environmental impacts of all of the above

    6. US-Mexico immigration issues Literal clash of developing and developed countries and cultures on the border Huge wage and employment differences Desires for family reunification Legitimate issues of political asylum Realization of spatial negative externalities of immigration impacts

    7. Ideas to resolve issues Guest worker policy with temporary stays Effective development policies in Mexico Realization of spatial externalities of impacts and policies to address them Command and control policies that are argued to lead towards criminalization of migrants Potential of education and realization of different perspectives involved IRCA legislation of 1986 and other laws

    8. North American Common Market Vicente Fox idea floated in summer of 2000 Realizing the realities of border migration, economic integration and geography Major elements include Open borders with free movement of migration Some form of continental minimum wage Implied guarantee of employment Realistic idea, useful straw person or ????

    9. Destabilization of las drogas Drug traffic and trade in Mexico truly threatens the stability of the state Narco-terrorists engaging in widespread murder and assassination Widespread corruption at the highest levels of government, as well as “on the line” Destination in the US is inescapable fact Demand is alive and well in the US Movement through Mexico and across border has major impacts on region

    10. Impacts of drug trafficking Heightened danger in Mexican border cities - Tijuana & Guadalajara shootouts Militarization of the border under guise of “security issues” argument is quite valid in Mexico, as evidenced by violence and Army roadblocks critiques exist concerning US sphere, due to different impacts in the US Overall, one of most difficult issues on border, threatening both sides

    12. Border environment as issue At best, historically seen as background against which events/processes occurred Last 15 years have seen US and Mexico increase formal and informal efforts Formal efforts include many agreements General framework of La Paz Agreement of 1983 Integrated Border Environmental Plan (IBEP)s NAFTA side accords - “greener” trade and development Border XXI - broader environmental frame

    13. Current “score” on environment Recent efforts are major improvement with many new and creative options Adequate laws/regs exist on both sides Mixed results and effectiveness both across and along the border Extremely active policy & research area Much yet to be done with great potential for exciting work

    14. Some ideas for solving problems Regional & geographic approaches The nature of twin or sister cities Watershed councils and other ecosystem and bio-regional approaches The importance of learning both about and from “The Other Side”; lessons from Pastor and Castañeda

    15. Formal environmental agreements La Paz Agreement for the Protection and Improvement of the Border Environment federal consensus on importance of issue established important working groups sets USEPA/SEDUE as primary agents NAFTA side accords 1st trade accord with active environment role Border Environment Cooperation Commission North American Development Bank Commission on Environmental Cooperation

    16. IBEP and Border XXI Integrated Border Environment Plan joint US-Mexican blueprint for environment built on La Paz workgroups extensive criticisms voiced by the public Border XXI - an attempt to improve IBEP more open public participation through regional border liaison offices in TX and CA calls for regional and bio-regional plans better effort but jury still out on overall impact

    17. The Environmental Institutions USEPA and SEMARNAP/SEMARNAT US and Federal environmental protection agencies with primacy in border environment NAFTA agencies - BECC and NADBank Border Environment Cooperation Commission Technical support and NADBANK certication Much promise, as well as some problems and issues NADBank is binational development bank Primarily loans funds for infrastructure projects Internal problems and lack of experience in Mexico for public agency financing exist

    18. International Boundary & Water Commission US and Mexican sections exist (IBWC/CILA) 1944 Water Treaty gave primacy to IBWC for water resource & boundary issues on border Technically and hierarchically oriented Tends to be highly reactive to problems Heritage for operating without transparency Limited input for public participation Recent changes offer optimism Yet agency is still fairly old guard in view

    19. Most recent developments USEPA and SEMARNAT recently released the “Border 2012 Program” draft document Renewal of sorts of the Border XXI Document that ended in 2000/2001 Strongly highlights need for public participation and transparency in operations Changes focus from topical work groups to regionally based work groups Stronger role for states rights and state participation

    20. Border 2012 specifics Preliminary plan is very short on details and specifics Regional focus is interesting variation, as is increasing role of the states Numerous questions exist with respect to specifics What of existing work groups? What of previous areas of focus? What of linkages to BECC, NADBank ,and IBWC? Plan raises as many if not more questions than it answers

    21. Regional & geographic approaches Border is a region, NOT just a line Geographic realities of location of Washington & Mexico City (tell us what?) Fabric and inter-relationships of border residents are very key more closely linked to those on “the other side” than own state and federal capitals local/regional efforts more likely to work Above argues for regional approaches

    22. What about these sister cities? Herzog (1990 and 1991) introduces the transboundary metropolis as planning tool (have them read this) Degree of linkage argues for valuable regional knowledge and interconnections Demonstrated potential includes San Diego-Tijuana Sister Cities Programs El Paso/Ciudad Juarez linkages & cooperation Yet significant obstacles and barriers exist

    23. Bio-regional approaches What is an ecoregion/bioregion? region of relative homogeneity of ecological systems or relationships between organisms and their environments Approach recognizes bio-physical integrity of regions & processes involved Also recognizes that problems may be best solved by working in these regions Two examples are watersheds and airsheds

    24. Bio-regional approaches Watershed is geographic region within which water, sediments and dissolved materials drain into a common outlet Shared border basins & co-occurrence of twin cites make watersheds attractive Watershed councils are logical step Demonstrated potential includes Border Liaison Mechanism& Border Water Council in San Diego region Paseo del Norte Regional Air Quality efforts

    25. Consejos de cuencas or watershed councils US opportunities and background Openings within USEPA and Border XXI Colorado River & Río Bravo/Río Grande compacts Mexican opportunities of Comisión Nacional del Agua and la Ley Nacional del Agua Call for consejos de cuencas Lays out user organization and participation los usuarios provide voices for multiple users

    26. Early history of los consejos Limited experience of Consejo del Río Lerma as domestic Mexican consejo Recent successes in San Diego/Tijuana region Efforts of SANDAG and Committee on Binational Regional Opportunities (COBRO) Border Water Council = regional instrument with joint federal support Council demonstrates potential of Consejos de cuencas

    27. Understanding the “other side” What are Pastor’s ideas for understanding? Listening is important first step, listening to: importance of oil, NA trading linkages, & the importance of Mexican-Americans to the US Communicating is crucial to understanding, it is more than listening Catch 22 of dependency relationship need to also acknowledge inter-dependency problems realistically assessing US role

    28. Understanding the “other side” What are Castañeda ’s ideas? US influence on Mexico is much too great! Mexico must look south to Latin America, not north to the US. Yet, realities of geography are what they are. Need for nationalism in Mexico is changing. Mexico’s resentment of the US and resiliency of political system are underestimated. US cannot solve Mexico’s problems; only Mexico can.

    29. Understanding the “other side” What ideas do Pastor and Castañeda share in this regard? At first reading of their intros….not many! Different histories, different perspectives yield different “answers” Yet….listening, communicating, learning, and understanding do seem shared ideas What do you think?

    30. Border images

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