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Upsetting the Apple Cart? Implications of the NAFTA Re-Negotiations for Canada–US Relations

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Canada–US Relations

Part of the book series: Canada and International Affairs ((CIAF))

Abstract

The election of U.S. President Trump and his administration’s belligerent approach to his trading partners has destabilized the Canada—U.S. relationship, which has rested on assumptions about the two countries’ close friendship based on shared values and interests. This chapter provides an overview of the NAFTA re-negotiations and their implications for Canada—U.S. relations. The chapter begins with a brief review of competing theories of international trade. The nature of the current crisis in the North American relationship vividly illustrates the importance of ideas and their role in shaping interests (Rodrik 2014). I then provide an overview of the contest of ideas over NAFTA and trade policy as it has played out in the course of the Trump administrations. I conclude by examining the implications of the NAFTA re-negotiations for Canada—U.S. economic relations, and the impact of the Trump administration on the longer term future of the relationship.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Laura Macdonald

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  1. Laura Macdonald
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Correspondence to Laura Macdonald .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. NPSIA, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    David Carment

  2. Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC, USA

    Christopher Sands

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Macdonald, L. (2019). Upsetting the Apple Cart? Implications of the NAFTA Re-Negotiations for Canada–US Relations. In: Carment, D., Sands, C. (eds) Canada–US Relations. Canada and International Affairs. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05036-8_10

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