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This paper will explore some of the general political and economic dynamics of contemporary border management in North America from a comparative perspective. It operates both in terms of some basic policy analysis but mostly offers commentary on theoretical and research approaches to these issues. The paper will take as its framework the events of September 11, 2001 and the subsequent actions by some national governments around the world to reinforce their borders (re‐territorialization). In this regard, the paper pays particular attention to the issue of securitization of borders and mobility, both at the state's frontiers and within it, as a method of counter‐terrorism policy, migration control, and for other exclusionary ends. The securitization process will be traced through several key examples, particularly in North America and Europe. While noting the emergence of new forms of border management such as cross‐border policing in the European Union and bi‐lateral border management in North America, it will also acknowledge the persistence of more traditional border control efforts in many parts of the globe—particularly in the developing world—which are generally less technologically‐driven and often are much less strict as they deal with different security concerns. As such, the paper argues the emerging politics of border management remains differentiated and complex. The paper surveys several of the more interesting conceptual attempts to describe what is going on. To add my voice to this dialogue, I suggest that in order to have more meaningful and robust analysis of these developments, border scholarship needs to move beyond the de/re‐territorializing duality and consider a hierarchy of border security threats. Given the complexity of this picture, the paper ends by calling for a reinvigorated interdisciplinary approach to research on border security. I also suggest we need to think in terms of "risk management" rather than traditional "border security" as such. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in security and surveillance technologies--part of the "Smart Borders" accords signed by the United States, Mexico, and Canada--have emerged as the preferred policy solution to the difficult problem of screening for terrorist incursions into the United States through its borders while maintaining the efficient passage of goods and individuals, key flows of globalization. Some analysts suggest the United States must employ these technologies and reform other policies in order to reconfigure its border security practices to match the economic and security realities of the post-9/11 era. Both Smart Border technologies and other potential reforms may represent a turning point in how regions like the North American borderlands are policed. For example, borders, in some sense, could become more "virtual" as information is passed and clearance is granted or denied well before a person or vehicle ever arrives at a physical frontier. Some enforcement and policing is also increasingly occurring outside the domestic realm (for instance, clearing air travelers bound for the U.S. before they leave Canada). But what, if any, are the implications of such border control policies for the practice of political territoriality and sovereignty in North America? Furthermore, do these new control systems and enforcement mechanisms present a challenge to the meaning of these concepts or do they simply reinforce their long-standing meaning in International Relations (IR)? This paper will explore these issues and begin to answer these questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, some states are retooling and reconfiguring their border regulatory apparatus. These emerging border security practices offer a unique observational window to engage on-going debates on continuity and change in contemporary world politics. They also, we argue, attempt to reconcile the competing demands of economic globalization and national security. In this paper, we ask how clandestine transnational actors (CTAs) and the new border security practices designed to cope with them reflect and affect large-scale changes in both domestic and international orders. This question is approached through a conceptual framework known as “Identities-Borders-Orders.” We argue that, as a “sole superpower,” the U.S. faces two dilemmas in trying to attain national security: the “hegemonic dilemma” and the “new security dilemma.” We illustrate these dilemmas through a case study of America’s response to 9/11, particularly emergent border management practices such as “Smart Borders.” ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]