ABSTRACT
From a Mexican perspective, the idea that the three nations that occupy the northern region of the American continent can share something more substantial than a geographical location and economic and demographic exchanges is at best just a mere possibility in a distant future. North America as a common historical enterprise where the national interests of the US, Canada, and Mexico converge in a way that reinforces each other as a result of long term political arrangement is just a theoretical prospect and an almost impossible reality. The first step in the construction of an economic and political North America was the negotiation of a free trade agreement between Canada and the US. Mexico is obviously the weakest link in any attempt to create a real North American partnership. NAFTA has given a push to trade and investment between the southern and northern neighbours of the US, but they remain relatively marginal to each other.
