John Adams unravels the prospects facing the United States and Mexico in the twenty-first century by offering a broad sweep of cross-border relations in historical and contemporary perspective. Framed by Mexico's integration into the global economy and the shift towards political and economic liberalization under Salinas, Zedillo and Fox, Bordering the Future argues that despite 9/11 diverting attention away from Mexico, the fate of Mexico remains critical to regional security and the political and economic stability of the United States. Mexico is America's second-largest trading partner after Canada, and the book pivots on this economic interdependence. Adams assesses Mexico's entry into bi- and multilateral trade agreements such as GATT and NAFTA; the prospects of its border industrialization programme; its ability to harness natural resources, industry, and agriculture to meet growing domestic urban demand; and the economic and political ramifications of immigration and global competition across the region (particularly from China) on both sides of the border.

Employing government agency documents, and academic, industry and statistical material, Adams contends that Mexico must weigh its postrevolutionary heritage of protectionism and antiforeign sentiment against the need to become a global competitor. In each of the five main sections Adams projects deepening the US–Mexico relationship: to meet domestic demand, fend off new competitors in low-wage labour-intensive industries, resolve energy shortages, invest in infrastructure and meet the challenges of demographic growth and increased surface trade along the border zone, Mexico must “espouse a pro-business posture” (95) to stimulate greater foreign trade, investment and technology transfer. Related to these issues (and the failure to deal with them) is the politically “volatile” debate over immigration (50), on which both nations must converge: weighing demands for labour and security, Adams proffers border control and a guest worker programme rather than “blanket amnesty” as a solution (58).

Adams, however, is less decisive in addressing the social, economic and environmental problems that have accompanied greater economic integration and the maquiladora system in particular. His projections sidestep the social and microeconomic policies needed alongside economic liberalization, the participation of grassroots and cross-border coalitions in forging consensus on economic reform, and debates about transnational citizenship. Devoted primarily to uncovering Mexico's economic landscape, Bordering the Future often mirrors the less-than-reciprocal relationship that has evolved between two nations north and south of the border.