ABSTRACT
Mexico’s development has long been interwoven with the economics and policies of the United States. Along the almost 2,000-mile border, economic change, population growth, government policies, and natural resource use on the U.S. and Mexican sides affect communities on both sides. The close linkages are evidenced by the 15 sister-city pairs along the border, the nearly 1 million border crossings made every day, and the $367 billion in annual cross-border trade. 1 Given the extensive economic and cultural ties between the United States and Mexico, the diplomatic and security relationship between the countries is broad and includes many areas of cooperation. Along the border, not only the federal governments but also state, municipal, and other local governments, as well as numerous civil society organizations, work together on cross-border issues. Although the U.S. public may see the border as dominated by problems of illegal immigration, potential terrorism, and violence, in fact the critical regional problems faced by both countries are similar: rapid population growth, poverty, insuffi cient infrastructure, and a challenging natural environment. Northern Mexico and the Southwest of the United States are semiarid and arid regions, defi ned by the Sonoran Desert and the Chihuahuan Desert. Of all the issues that arise along the border, allocation of water is one of the most critical and one that is likely to remain problematic for many years.
