U.S. benefits from trade with neighbors, says ASU public policy analyst

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North American relationships is the “hot topic” in the July/August issue of the magazine Capitol Ideas, published bi-monthly by the Council of State Governments. Arizona State University’s Erik Lee writes that geography, security and employment underscore why Canada and Mexico matter to the United States.

In an essay peppered with facts and figures, Lee shapes his comments by focusing on trade among the countries. For example, he writes: “Canada and Mexico are the top two countries for U.S. exports. Of particular interest in North American trade is energy, which makes up a large part of this trade. Canada and Mexico are our first- and third-ranked foreign petroleum suppliers; Saudi Arabia is second.”

He also notes that “one of the challenges of trade in general is how to push the benefits of trade to medium and small-sized companies.”

The Council of State Governments is hosting a North American Summit in conjunction with its national conference in October to explore issues of interest to all three nations. Read more about CSG at http://www.csg.org.