"Similar feathers or different stripes? Mexico, Turkey and the limits of regional integration"

Hussain, Imtiaz. (2001) "Similar feathers or different stripes? Mexico, Turkey and the limits of regional integration" . In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2001 (7th), May 31-June 2, 2001, pages 31, Madison, Wisconsin.

Abstract

Mexico's and Turkey's regionalist pursuits predictably changed the rules of integration game, as much out of their own idiosyncratic contributions to both theory-building and policy-making, as through developments beyond their control. Those are the broad findings of a comparative study of the two actual/potential developing country trading bloc members. By examining the economic credentials and liabilities of both, the endogenous features of integration theories, and the exogenous forces impinging upon them, the study further finds two countries with similar structures inclinations in the global economy confronting different future prospects and imposing dissimilar challenges upon regional integration. Critical to the outcomes have been the explicit and implicit roles of United States: its proximity to Mexico working wonders for that country but deepening dependency, its withdrawal from Turkey improving that country's regionalist chances but weakening the exclusiveness of the European Union. The United States is found to be one of a few exogenous forces challenging their endogenous counterparts in shaping regionalism today, pushing regionalism and regional integration theories increasingly to trespass the domains of other paradigms and policy objectives. Questions are raised how policy-makers and theory builders may escape the dilemmas they face.