The North American Institute

The North American Institute: NAMI was founded in 1988 to deepen understanding and to promote new approaches to North American issues. A unique trinational organization, NAMI’s spirit derives from the vision of founders Maurice Strong, Bruce Babbitt and Jesus Silva Herzog, and developed by Susan Herter, John Wirth and Senator Jack Austin of Canada.
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March 8, 2010: A Farewell.

The North American Institute is closing its doors.

Established in 1988, The North American Institute (NAMI) was founded on a simple premise: "To promote deeper understanding, greater acceptance and closer cooperation among the people and institutions of North America." We have been faithful to this goal since the beginning when our unique trinational organization was developed by such visionaries as: Maurice Strong, Bruce Babbitt, Jesus Silva Herzog, Jack Austin, Susan Herter and John Wirth.

In the early 90's we correctly anticipated the creation of many public policies and participated in public debates before the actual NAFTA negotiations took place. Subsequent to NAFTA's passage, we continued to strongly advocate for NGO participation in the entire NAFTA process. This enabled our leadership to play a key role in shaping the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation We later convened one of the first trinational fora on education and training in an increasingly integrated society and marketplace.

We published one of the very first studies of cultural issues, "Identities in North America: The Search for Community" and one of the first in-depth looks into cross-border environmental management, "Environmental Management on North America’s Borders." One of our founders, the distinguished professor, John Wirth, published his, "Smelter Smoke in North America: The politics of Transborder Pollution" inspired by his experiences at NAMI conferences and his service on the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.

Our founders and cooperators have given form to the ideas and philosophy underpinning our Institute. It has always been our belief that the most powerful tool for change is that of an open exchange in a friendly forum. Several such opportunities offered by NAMI include an electronic forum on the NAMI Website; Conferences, too, are an integral part of NAMI’s discussion fora. We have held four important Conferences over the past few years: "NAFTA Institute Conference", held on June 2009 in Sunland Park, New Mexico; "Energy Independence for North America: An Alternative Future", held in May 2007; "Migration in North America", held in October 2006; "Making North America Competitive in Today’s Global Economy", held in August 2005 — all held in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

It is with great sadness that NAMI has reached the end of its usefulness after 22 years of dedication and service. Due to financial constraints and lack of funding we reluctantly close our doors, but it is our strong hope that our philosophy, which has also been our mission, will be carried on. We believe that by understanding each other’s cultural similarities and differences we will achieve a higher level of acceptance which will ultimately lead to a strong trinational partnership, affording closer cooperation.

We wish to thank all our many friends who have supported and worked with NAMI over these past 22 years.

CANADA NEWS:

Premiers, govs say meet fruitful

Winnipeg Sun, February 22, 2010 - “Provincial leaders wrapped up three days of meetings with U.S. governors in Washington, D.C., on Sunday and Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger said the unprecedented get-together paves the way for improved relations between Canada and the U.S. “It’s the first time the governors and premiers as a group have met together,” he said. “It was a very positive tone and a welcoming tone.” Selinger joined the premiers of Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan for the three-day visit to the U.S. capital, where they met with 20 governors and several top-level figures of President Barack Obama’s administration.” Read More.

MEXICO NEWS:

Mexico Oil Politics Keeps Riches Just Out of Reach

The New York Times, March 9, 2010 - “To the Mexican people, one of the great achievements in their history was the day their president kicked out foreign oil companies in 1938. Thus, they celebrate March 18 as a civic holiday. Yet today, that 72-year-old act has put Mexico in a straitjacket, one that threatens both the welfare of the country and the oil supply of the United States. The national oil company created after the 1938 seizure, Pemex, is entering a period of turmoil. Oil production in its aging fields is sagging so rapidly that Mexico, long one of the world’s top oil-exporting countries, could begin importing oil within the decade. Mexico is among the three leading foreign suppliers of oil to the United States, along with Canada and Saudi Arabia. Mexican barrels can be replaced, but at a cost. It means greater American dependence on unfriendly countries like Venezuela, unstable countries like Nigeria and Iraq, and on the oil sands of Canada, an environmentally destructive form of oil production. “As you lose Mexican oil, you lose a critical supply,” said Jeremy M. Martin, director of the energy program at the Institute of the Americas at the University of California, San Diego. “It’s not just about energy security but national security, because our neighbor’s economic and political well-being is largely linked to its capacity to produce and export oil.” Read More.

UNITED STATES NEWS:

A Word From the Wise A Word From the Wise

The New York Times, March 3, 2010 - “I was traveling via Los Angeles International Airport — LAX — last week. Walking through its faded, cramped domestic terminal, I got the feeling of a place that once thought of itself as modern but has had one too many face-lifts and simply can’t hide the wrinkles anymore. In some ways, LAX is us. We are the United States of Deferred Maintenance. China is the People’s Republic of Deferred Gratification. They save, invest and build. We spend, borrow and patch. And this contrast is playing out in the worst way — just slowly enough so the crisis never seems acute enough to take urgent action. But, eventually, infrastructure, education and innovation policies matter. Businesses prefer to invest with the Jetsons more than the Flintstones, which brings me to the subject of this column. I had a chance last week to listen to Paul Otellini, the chief executive of Intel, the microchip maker and one of America’s crown jewel companies. Otellini was in Washington to talk about competitiveness at Brookings and the Aspen Institute. At a time when so much of our public policy discussion is dominated by health care and bailouts, my public service for the week is to share Mr. Otellini’s views on start-ups. While America still has the quality work force, political stability and natural resources a company like Intel needs, said Otellini, the U.S. is badly lagging in developing the next generation of scientific talent and incentives to induce big multinationals to create lots more jobs here. Read More.