Andrew Selee
Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together
(PublicAffairs, June 2018)
A nuanced, story-driven narrative about the deeply intertwined business and cultural relationship between the United States and Mexico, and the need to tear down, rather than fortify, walls
A certain narrative about the relationship between the United States and Mexico has taken shape over the last twenty years. Many believe that our trade and immigration policies have undercut American labor, and that Mexico itself is a place where drugs and violence are rampant. They believe that these two countries, living side by side, are about as different as can be. But as Andrew Selee shows, the demographics, economics, politics, and culture of these two countries have more in common than meets the eye.
Vanishing Frontiers is the story of the cultural and economic intertwining of these two countries. Beloved US brands like Sara Lee and Thomas’ English Muffins are owned by Mexico City-based Grupo Bimbo. Forty percent of the manufactured goods that flow across the border with Mexico are products that US and Mexican firms assemble together in shared supply chains. As immigration from Mexico has reached an all-time low, a million Americans–retirees, job seekers, and more–live in Mexico, almost as many expats as live in all the countries of the European Union combined. Meanwhile, more than a tenth of all Americans now trace their heritage to Mexico, and they are among the fastest-growing consumer segments for everything from prime-time television programs to the Super Bowl.
There has been a dramatic change in the way Mexico and the United States relate to each other, but few Americans have noticed the depth of this change. As Selee shows in this important and timely book, the US-Mexico border is a seam that weaves together the two economies and cultures, not a barrier between two radically different societies.
Advanced Praise for VANISHING FRONTIERS
“An evenhanded, reasoned contribution to an overheated discussion.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Drawing on his deep bicultural background, Andrew Selee narrates in colorful and fascinating detail how economic integration and demographic change are blending Mexican and American societies. Given the ongoing and heated public debate about NAFTA and US-Mexican relations, this is a most timely work.”
—John Negroponte, former US ambassador to Mexico, deputy secretary of state, and director of national intelligence
“Andrew Selee brilliantly chronicles the forces that have redefined our relationship with Mexico over the past quarter century, covering trade, immigration, security, and so much more. His intimate knowledge of Mexico and its people shines through as he tells the story, in a highly readable fashion, of why Mexico matters to the well-being of our nation. As our government is currently renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, Vanishing Frontiers is a must read for all Americans, who will find it a book once started, very hard to put down.”
—Carla Hills, former US trade representative and secretary of housing and urban development
“While some politicians talk about walls, Andrew Selee tells us about the bridges that bind Mexico and the United States together. Few relationships will define our future as much as the one we have with the country next door. From energy and innovation to film and food, this book captures the many linkages that tie us together and shows why Mexico truly matters for our future.”
—Bill Richardson, former governor of New Mexico, US ambassador to the United Nations, and secretary of energy
“Mexico is more than our neighbor—it’s one of the most important countries for America’s future. In Vanishing Frontiers, Andrew Selee shows how closely our two economies and our societies are tied together and why this should matter for all of us in the United States.”
—Thomas Nides, vice chairman, Morgan Stanley, and former deputy secretary of state
“In this fascinating collection of fact-based stories, Andrew Selee draws on his deep and personal knowledge of both the United States and Mexico to reveal to us how, underneath today’s choppy waters, the strong combined currents of economy, geography, demography, and culture are inexorably driving our two countries together into a synergistic production and social platform and a closely interwoven destiny, transforming both countries along the way. This is a must read for anyone interested in learning more about an indispensable and strategic neighbor and in visualizing and harnessing the shape of things to come in North America.”
—Jose L. Prado, chairman and CEO, Evans Food Group, and former president, Quaker Oats North America
“In nativist times, Andrew Selee’s Vanishing Frontiers is a spot on, vivid, extraordinary, ground-level view of the key players quietly building bridges between the United States and Mexico. This wide-ranging, painstaking well-research and sharply written account provides a much-needed human face to grasp the seismic changes sweeping both countries. Vanishing Frontiers adds much needed context and splendid insight to today’s complex conversation. Selee takes us on a personal journey and bluntly reminds us why walls are obsolete and ties inevitable. You cannot understand the future of both countries without reading Vanishing Frontiers.”
— Alfredo Corchado, Border Correspondent, Dallas Morning News, and Author, Midnight in Mexico
“Vanishing Frontiers offers fascinating insights into the ways that ordinary people—and some extraordinary human beings—continue to shape US relations with Mexico. Outside the glare of politics, citizens of both countries are bringing their nations together in myriad ways. Selee’s optimism is more than wishful thinking; it is based on years of personal observation and empirical research. And it offers a welcome corrective to the anti-Mexican rhetoric exuding from Washington DC these days.”
—Peter H. Smith, distinguished professor emeritus, University of California, San Diego, visiting professor, University of Denver, and author, Talons of the Eagle: Latin America, the United States, and the World
“In this beautifully crafted work, Andrew Selee has produced an extraordinary account of the deep and complex relationship between Mexico and the United States, sharing the same qualities as Richard Reeves’ best-selling American Journey: Traveling with Tocqueville in Search of Democracy in America. Like Reeves and Tocqueville, he has travelled throughout the United States, speaking in-depth with Mexicans and Americans from all backgrounds and ages, in order to shed light on the degree to which the two countries have become integrated economically and culturally, presenting fascinating stories of successful individuals whose professions range from restaurants to film, sports to journalism, and technology to politics. Their personal experiences are woven deeply through the fabric of both societies, allowing readers to identify and clearly understand numerous trends in their deepening integration. The degree to which Selee effectively combines fascinating personal accounts with in-depth recent data revealing significant trends in the relationship will appeal to and deserves the broadest readership.”
– Roderic Ai Camp, Claremont McKenna College
Listen to Andrew Selee on KERA “Partners Forever: How The U.S. and Mexico Rely On Each Other”
Read the Economist‘s review of VANISHING FRONTIERS
Read The Wall Street Journal‘s review of VANISHING FRONTIERS
Read the Financial Times‘ review of VANISHING FRONTIERS
Listen to Andrew Selee’s interview with Jefferson Public Radio
Watch Andrew Selee on C-SPAN discussing his book VANISHING FRONTIERS
Listen to Andrew Selee’s interview with Joanne Myers of Carnegie Council
Listen to Andrew Selee’s interview on Spectrum from WOUB Public Media, NPR
Listen to Andrew Selee’s interview on New Books Network
Andrew Selee is president of the Migration Policy Institute and former executive vice president of the Woodrow Wilson Center, where he founded and directed its Mexico Institute. For five years in the 1990s he lived in a shantytown in Tijuana, Mexico, helping to start a community center and home for migrant youth. In the quarter-century since, he has witnessed firsthand the dramatic transformation of this city specifically and the country as a whole. Dr. Selee writes a regular column for Mexico’s largest newspaper and has written op-eds for the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times.