Border Games: Policing the U.S.- Mexico Divide (Cornell Studies in Political Economy)

The border between the US and Mexico is the busiest in the world, the longest and most dramatic meeting point between a rich and poor country, and the site of intense confrontation between law enforcement and law evasion. Border control has evolved from a low-maintenance and politically marginal activity to a high-intensity campaign with a focus on drugs and migrant labour. The unprecedented build-up of border policing has taken place in an era otherwise defined by the opening up of the border, most notably through NAFTA. This contrast creates a borderless economy with a barricaded border. Peter Andreas argues that the sharp escalation in law enforcement provides a political mechanism for coping with the unintended consequences of past policy choices. Law enforcement is enthusiastically embraced as a remedy for the very problems state practices have helped to create. The high-profile display of force, Andreas emphasizes, has ultimately been less about deterring illegal crossings and more about recrafting the image of the border and symbolically reaffirming the States' territorial authority. Extending his analysis to the borders of the European Union, Andreas identifies the different forms of law enforcement escalation that reflect distinct historical legacies and regional contexts. Andreas challenges the notion that borders are irrelevant in an age of globalization and stresses that, rather than eroding, some critical borders are being reinforced and remade.

"This outstanding book is a much-needed addition to the literature on the policing of international boundaries. Because it is so well written and concise, it fits beautifully into political geography curricula at the undergraduate as well as at the graduate level. Hopefully the book will inspire geographers to take up questions similar to those that Peter Andreas has so capably interrogated." Joseph Nevins, The Professional Geographer (reviewing the first edition)"

"The difficulty in policing a complex border like that between the United States and Mexico, specifically stemming the flow of illegal drugs and immigration, demonstrates, according to Peter Andreas's insightful and pathbreaking analysis, the challenge associated with globalization, diminished sovereignty, and economic integration between developed and developing countries. . . . Andreas's insightful and rigorous study is an important contribution to the literature on globalization and transnational illicit trade." Frank O. Mora, American Political Science Review (reviewing the first edition)"

"This fascinating and thoughtful book should be read by every citizen, policymaker, scholar, and student seeking to understand how the United States has so artfully managed to import the illegal drugs and undocumented workers its consumers and employers demand, while its government gets credit for eye-catching but ineffective campaigns to control the U.S. border with Mexico. Peter Andreas has caught the underside of the NAFTA paradox perfectly." John H. Coatsworth, Harvard University (reviewing the first edition)"

"At a time when economic globalization is seen opening borders throughout the world, the boundary enforcement has intensified along the longest border between a rich and poor country, the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Andreas offers a broad overview of smuggling immigrants and drugs into the U.S. from Mexico and intensified enforcement efforts. On a broader scale, Andreas looks at international trends in smuggling and border enforcement in Europe." Booklist (reviewing the first edition) "

"An engaging and readable book. . . . This slim volume is recommended for all levels." Choice (reviewing the first edition)

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"Border Games provides an in-depth and comparative analysis of the border policies. . . Required reading for anyone with an interest in U.S.-Mexico relations and the American West." Jeff Biggers, The Bloomsbury Review (reviewing the first edition)

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"Border Games is a penetrating analysis that not only exposes the hypocrisy of U.S. border policy in devastating detail, but explains why border enforcement has become a political necessity in the core nations of a rapidly globalizing economy. It is required reading for any serious student of the politics of immigration." Douglas S. Massey, Dorothy Swaine Thomas Professor, University of Pennsylvania (reviewing the first edition) "

"With analytical skill, political savvy, empirical rigor, comparative insight and a keen sense of paradox, Peter Andreas explores a fascinating aspect of U.S. relations with Mexico today: that while state control of legal trade has been greatly relaxed and the border opened, there has been a simultaneous effort to make the border seem more closed to illegal flows of narcotics and people." Abraham F. Lowenthal, University of Southern California (reviewing the first edition)

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"At a time when economic globalization is seen opening borders throughout the world, the boundary enforcement has intensified along the longest border between a rich and poor country, the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Andreas offers a broad overview of smuggling immigrants and drugs into the U.S. from Mexico and intensified enforcement efforts. On a broader scale, Andreas looks at international trends in smuggling and border enforcement in Europe."--Booklist (reviewing the first edition)

"An engaging and readable book. . . . This slim volume is recommended for all levels."--Choice (reviewing the first edition)