AU & NAU

Evidence shows that NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement involving the U.S., Canada and Mexico, is being expanded without congressional approval or oversight as part of a plan to create an economic and political entity known as the North American Union (NAU). Federal documents uncovered by Judicial Watch quote participants in the scheme as saying that an “evolution by stealth” strategy is being used to put the pieces into place. Documents also speak of developing a common security perimeter and a common identification card for citizens of the three countries.

With the exception of Lou Dobbs of CNN, our national media have ignored not only the process that is well underway but the growing outcry over what is happening. Resolutions against the NAU have been introduced in 14 state legislatures¯and have passed in two¯and thousands of people have turned out in Texas to protest a Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) highway system, which will link the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Critics say the project is being funded by foreign interests, could run roughshod over private property rights, and could facilitate illegal activities, such as the trafficking of people and drugs, from Mexico.

The TTC, which is viewed as being part of the “NAFTA Superhighway,” is only part of a much larger process of integrating the three nations. This writer attended and covered a February 16, 2007, conference sponsored by the Center for North American Studies at American University (AU) that was devoted to an emerging “North American Community,” which is what conference organizer Robert Pastor, a former Carter Administration official, prefers to call it. Academic literature distributed to conference participants discussed a common legal framework for the U.S., Canada and Mexico and proposals for a North American Court of Justice (with the authority to overrule a decision of the U.S. Supreme Court), a North American Trade Tribunal, and a Charter of Fundamental Human Rights for North America. One of Pastor’s students at AU suggests that he even favors a North American Parliament.

The conference organizers and participants believe NAFTA, which promised economic integration, has to be expanded into the legal, social, political and even cultural areas. Pastor, though a Democrat, succeeded in persuading Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn to introduce a “North American Investment Fund” bill to send more U.S. tax dollars to Mexico. Both political parties are seen favoring the process of bringing the three countries together into an entity like the European Union that now governs Europe and supersedes the sovereignty of member governments.

One obvious problem is corruption in and illegal immigration from Mexico. Public sentiment in the U.S. forced Congress to pass¯and President Bush to sign¯a law creating a fence on the U.S. southern border. Nevertheless, Bush and the Democrats continue to press for amnesty for illegal aliens and ways to increase the flow of foreign workers into the U.S.

This writer attended and covered a February 16, 2007, conference sponsored by the Center for North American Studies at American University (AU) that was devoted to an emerging “North American Community,” which is what conference organizer Robert Pastor, a former Carter Administration official, prefers to call it. Academic literature distributed to conference participants discussed a common legal framework for the U.S., Canada and Mexico and proposals for a North American Court of Justice (with the authority to overrule a decision of the U.S. Supreme Court), a North American Trade Tribunal, and a Charter of Fundamental Human Rights for North America. One of Pastor’s students at AU suggests that he even favors a North American Parliament.

Cliff Kincaid is Editor of Accuracy in Media and can be contacted at cliff.kincaid@aim.org. This article is excerpted from his column for AIM available
here.