GA547

Will examine the relations among the states of North America with a particular focus on Unites States relations with Mexico and Canada, but will touch upon issues related to matters concerning the near island states of the Caribbean. When Americans think about the foreign policy of the United States and regions of the world they do not usually think about North America and especially U.S. relations with Canada and Mexico in spite of the fact or perhaps because of it, that these are the only two states in the world which share international land borders with the U.S. In contrast because of this proximity for the Mexican and Canadian governments and their citizens, relations with the U.S dominate foreign policy considerations. This asymmetry in focus and importance, the scope and depth of U.S. linkages with its two neighboring states exceed that of American relations with any two other states in the international system. The impact of United States policies toward Canada and Mexico and the effect of the policies of these two state on the U.S. reach deeply into the domestic fabric of three major North American states, including the United States. Security, the environment, energy and economic well-being, how the United States handles its foreign relations in North America, figures prominently in the daily lives of millions of individual Americans in ways that exceed that of any other U.S. bilateral or multilateral interactions. Offered: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.