User:Wisepiglet/North American Union

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A map of the theoretical boundaries of the North American Union
A map of the theoretical boundaries of the North American Union

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[edit] Please help restore this article

This is fake Vince!

No it isn't...you just have your head in a hole...like most Americans! Apart from the controversy, I think that preventing a direct link to "North American Union" by Wikipedia controls is nothing short of censorship. This is a hot topic on the web and should be discussed more openly here too.

[edit] The real article starts here

The North American Union is a proposed international government encompassing the nations of Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It could be considered the North American analogue of the European Union.

The blueprint for this governing body was laid out in a 2005 report entitled "Building a North American Community" published by the Independent Task Force on North America, a partnership among the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), an American foreign policy think tank, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, and the Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales.

The Independent Task Force on North America was chaired by Canadian politician John Manley, a former Deputy Prime Minister.

[edit] History

The evolving history of a future North American Union can trace its roots back to the original major expansion of European power in the Americas, for which the voyage to America by Christopher Columbus was the major initial catalyst. Multiple great powers, especially England, France, and Spain, among others, fought each other for total hegemony over the new lands.

Eventually, the colonial peoples of North America obtained independence from European control as three major nation-states: first, the United States of America (declared 1776, recognized 1783); second, the United Mexican States (declared 1810, recognized 1821); third, the Canadian Confederation (initiated 1867, completed 1982). Although initially ignored or suppressed by the former colonial peoples, the indigenous peoples of the Americas were eventually also recognized as fellow North Americans.

(At the same time, of course, the peoples of Central America and South America also obtained their independence; note that Central America originally declared independence as the United Provinces of Central America (1823), but soon broke up into separate independent states (1840).)

In recent times, the three North American nation-states have been increasing their economic ties, accelerating the process with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

In response to the demands of increasing globalization and shared concerns from abroad, such as the increasing clout of other economic spheres such as the European Union and China, the leaders of the three nations agreed in 2005 to work more cooperatively on shared North American concerns. To this end, the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America was established. [1]

It is likely that any future North American Union would continue to build on the work done through initiatives such as NAFTA and the SPP.

[edit] Current debate

It has been suggested that a hypothetical common currency might be called the "Amero", which would be similar in concept to the Euro, the common currency of the EU. [2] However, this is seen as needlessly generic even by many proponents, as two of the three countries (Canada and the USA) already use a dollar-based currency, along with many Caribbean nations which could be candidates for accession to a future NAU. [citation needed] Note that the third major country, Mexico, uses the peso, which is also a dollar-like currency (although it is currently trading at an exchange rate significantly lower relative to the dollar currencies of both Canada and the USA). (At one time, one silver dollar equaled exactly one peso, which was in turn based on the Spanish dollar.)

The three nations that make up the NAU would either significantly diminish or else erase remaining trade and travel restrictions with each other, making entry into their countries from the other two nearly as easy as crossing state or provincial lines within each of said countries (as is already the case within the EU). Because of this, the NAU is seen by many in the United States as an end run around Federal immigration laws. which would also eliminate any need for actual amnesty for illegal immigrants (as is currently being debated in the US Congress). [citation needed]

This proposed supranational government is also seen by many as surrendering US sovereignty, which undermines the United States Constitution. Because of these and other provisions that would be enacted if the NAU was put in place, it is considered to be nothing more than an illegal international treaty by many in the United States. [citation needed]

Within Canada, the North American Union proposal is seen by some opponents as compromising Canadian sovereignty, potentially paving the way for Canada's total annexation by the United States. [citation needed]

[edit] Geography

The North American Union would currently (as of 2006) have a total population of around 436,020,884 citizens. For comparison, the European Union currently (as of 2006) has an estimated population of 457,514,494.

The NAU population would be divided among the three constituent nations as follows:

North American Population By Country
Country Population
USA 297,550,259
Mexico 107,449,525
Canada 31,021,100

The NAU would collectively have 97 states and provinces. For comparison, the EU currently includes 25 member states; note that some of the EU states themselves have major regional divisions (for example, the United Kingdom includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, all of which (especially Scotland) exercise a certain degree of regional autonomy and Germany is a federal republic with 16 states much like the US and Mexico).

The NAU states and provinces would be ordered by population as follows:

North American States and Provinces
Country State or Province Population
USA California 35,893,799
USA Texas 22,490,022
USA New York 19,227,088
USA Florida 17,397,161
Mexico México 13,096,686
USA Illinois 12,713,634
USA Pennsylvania 12,406,292
Canada Ontario 11,897,600
USA Ohio 11,459,011
USA Michigan 10,112,620
USA Georgia 8,829,383
USA New Jersey 8,698,879
Mexico Distrito Federal 8,605,239
USA North Carolina 8,541,221
USA Virginia 7,459,827
Canada Quebec 7,397,000
Mexico Veracruz-Llave 6,908,975
USA Massachusetts 6,416,505
Mexico Jalisco 6,322,002
USA Indiana 6,237,569
USA Washington 6,203,788
USA Tennessee 5,900,962
USA Missouri 5,754,618
USA Arizona 5,743,834
USA Maryland 5,558,058
USA Wisconsin 5,509,026
USA Minnesota 5,100,958
Mexico Puebla 5,076,686
Mexico Guanajuato 4,663,032
USA Colorado 4,601,403
USA Alabama 4,530,182
USA Louisiana 4,515,770
USA South Carolina 4,198,068
USA Kentucky 4,145,922
Canada British Columbia 4,078,400
Mexico Michoacán de Ocampo 3,985,667
Mexico Chiapas 3,920,892
USA Puerto Rico 3,894,855
Mexico Nuevo León 3,834,141
USA Oregon 3,594,586
USA Oklahoma 3,523,553
USA Connecticut 3,503,604
Mexico Oaxaca 3,438,765
Mexico Guerrero 3,079,649
Canada Alberta 3,056,700
Mexico Chihuahua 3,052,907
USA Iowa 2,954,451
USA Mississippi 2,902,966
Mexico Tamaulipas 2,753,222
USA Arkansas 2,752,629
USA Kansas 2,735,502
Mexico Sinaloa 2,536,844
Mexico Baja California 2,487,367
USA Utah 2,389,039
USA Nevada 2,334,771
Mexico San Luis Potosí 2,299,360
Mexico Coahuila de Zaragoza 2,298,070
Mexico Hidalgo 2,235,591
Mexico Sonora 2,216,969
USA New Mexico 1,903,289
Mexico Tabasco 1,891,829
USA West Virginia 1,815,354
USA Nebraska 1,747,214
Mexico Yucatán 1,658,210
Mexico Morelos 1,555,296
Mexico Durango 1,448,661
Mexico Querétaro de Arteaga 1,404,306
USA Idaho 1,393,262
Mexico Zacatecas 1,353,610
USA Maine 1,317,253
USA New Hampshire 1,299,500
USA Hawaii 1,262,840
Canada Manitoba 1,151,300
USA Rhode Island 1,080,632
Canada Saskatchewan 1,000,100
Mexico Tlaxcala 962,646
Mexico Aguascalientes 944,285
Canada Nova Scotia 932,400
USA Montana 926,865
Mexico Nayarit 920,185
Mexico Quintana Roo 874,963
USA Delaware 830,364
USA South Dakota 770,883
Canada New Brunswick 749,900
Mexico Campeche 690,689
USA Alaska 655,435
USA North Dakota 634,366
USA Vermont 621,394
USA District of Columbia 553,523
Mexico Colima 542,627
Canada Newfoundland and Labrador 522,000
USA Wyoming 506,529
Mexico Baja California Sur 424,041
Canada Prince Edward Island 136,700
Canada Northwest Territories 40,800
Canada Yukon Territory 30,100
Canada Nunavut 28,100

[edit] See also

[edit] NAU precursors and alternatives

[edit] Other regional blocs

[edit] Related organizations

[edit] More information

[edit] External links

[edit] Pro - In Favor of NAU

[edit] Neutral - Information About NAU

[edit] Con - Opposed to NAU

[edit] NAU Alternatives

[edit] Other Forums

[edit] EXTERNAL REFERENCES

[edit] Video's (Streaming or for download)

[[Category:International organizations]] [[Category:Canada and the United States]] [[Category:North America]] [[Category:North American Union| ]]