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The North American Union or NAU is a conspiracy theory that refers to a continental union of Canada, Mexico and the United States similar in structure to the European Union, including a common currency called the amero. There are no proposals to create such a union.

Origins

North American Union conspiracy theories are predominant on the Internet, especially among bloggers and other writers. Jerome Corsi's columns on WorldNetDaily and Human Events, as well as his best-selling book The Late Great U.S.A.: The Coming Merger With Mexico and Canada, formed the core of the NAU conspiracy theory.

Features

Conspiracy theories of a North American Union share a number of common elements between them. NASCO and the SPP have both addressed the establishment of a common currency, a "NAFTA Superhighway", and the creation of a North American Union in "Myths vs Facts" pages on their websites.

Amero

The amero is the appellation given to what would be the North American Union's counterpart to the euro. It was first proposed in 1999 by Canadian economist Herbert G. Grubel. A senior fellow of the Fraser Institute think-tank, he published a book entitled The Case for the Amero in September 1999, the year that the euro became a virtual currency. Another Canadian think-tank, the conservative C.D. Howe Institute, advocates the creation of a shared currency between Canada and the United States.

Although Mexican President Vicente Fox has expressed support for the idea, when Grubel brought up the idea to American officials, they said they were not interested, citing lack of benefits for the U.S.

On August 31 2007, conspiracy theorist and Internet broadcaster Hal Turner claimed to have arranged for a United States Government minted Amero coin to be smuggled out of the Treasury Department by an employee of that organization. Snopes has assessed both Turner's story and the existence of the amero as "false".

NAFTA Superhighway

The Trans-Texas Corridor was first proposed by Texas Governor Rick Perry in 2002. It consists of a 1,200 foot wide highway that also carries utilities such as electricity, petroleum and water as well as railway track and fiber-optic cables. 2008 U.S. presidential candidate Ron Paul brought the issue to mainstream prominence during the December 2007 CNN-YouTube GOP debate, where he called it "the NAFTA Superhighway" and framed it within "the ultimate goal" of creating a North American Union.

Officials from the Federal Highway Administration have denied the existence of a NAFTA superhighway. NASCO also refutes the NAFTA superhighway's existence.

Denials

The creation of a North American Union, the amero or a NAFTA superhighway have all been rebuked by government officials from all three North American countries, including U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, who stated "There is no secret plan to create a North American union, or a common currency, or to intrude on the sovereignty of any of the partner nations". Officials from the Federal Highway Administration have also denied such a creation. After the leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States were asked about the NAU in a August 2007 press conference in Montebello, Canada, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated that he didn't believe that the NAU was a "generally expressed concern", while U.S. President George W. Bush called concerns of a North American Union "political scare tactics" and mentioned how "comical" the "difference between reality and what some people are talking on TV about."

Notes

1. ^ Braun, Steven (2007-11-30). "Paul believes in threat of North American superhighway". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-12-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
2. ^ Moscoso, Eunice (2007-11-10), "Economists debunk 'Amero' story", Atlanta Journal-Constitution {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. "Diverted by jelly-beans". The Economist. 2007-08-23. Retrieved 2007-12-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Text "publisher" ignored (help)
4. ^ Kovach, Gretel (2007-12-10). "Highway to Hell?". Newsweek. Retrieved 2007-12-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
5. ^ Bennett, Drake (2007-11-25), "The amero conspiracy", International Herald Tribune {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
6. Dine, Philip (2007-05-19). "Urban legends of "North American Union" feeds on fears". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
7. "SPP Myths vs Facts". Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
8. ^ "NASCO Congressional - Myths vs Facts December 2007" (PDF). North American SuperCorridor Coalition. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
9. Herbert G. Grubel (1999). "The Case for the Amero: The Economics and Politics of a North American Monetary Union" (PDF). The Fraser Institute. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
10. "Canada Should Pursue North American Currency Union" (PDF). C. D. Howe Institute. June 22 1999. Retrieved 2007-09-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
11. "Amero Uproar". Snopes.com. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
12. McKenna, Barrie (2007-06-11). "Security and prosperity?". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2007-12-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
13. Remarks to U.S. and Canadian Chambers of Commerce, United States Department of Commerce, 2007-10-30, retrieved 2007-12-06
14. President Bush Participates in Joint Press Availability with Prime Minister Harper of Canada, and President Calderón of Mexico, White House.gov, 2007-08-21, retrieved 2007-12-06

• Conspiracy theories
• Politics of the United States
• Politics of Mexico
• Politics of Canada