The United States and Canada are far more integrated than most people think. In fact, a merger between the two countries isn’t just desirable—it’s inevitable. We share more than just the world’s longest border. We share the same values, lifestyles and aspirations. Our societies and economies are becoming similar in significant ways.

Canada is widely hailed as a multicultural success state. As the first country to adopt multiculturalism as official policy, and with high rates of integration among immigrant populations, it is often looked at as a model to be followed. Recently, though, the French province of Quebec has dented this global reputation with the introduction of Bill 60, popularly known as the Quebec Charter of Values.

Governors Jan Brewer (Ariz.) and Brian Sandoval (Nev.) met at the Hoover Dam March 21 to unveil signs that promote the future route of the Interstate 11 (I-11). A project Governor Brewer has enthusiastically championed to better connect Arizona to national and international trade partners, I-11 will serve as the main corridor for commerce and transportation between Mexico, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Mexicans don’t trust law enforcement agencies, which creates a toxic environment for combating cartel violence, according to research released on Thursday. Roughly 90 percent of Mexicans have little or no confidence in municipal police. 

Juan Manuel Contreras, a church singer and laid-off electrical supply worker, had been honking his car horn and shouting through a megaphone out of the window for half an hour when he turned to me with a question one might only address to a newly arrived foreigner in Mexico.

President Obama arrived in this industrial city today to talk trade with his North American counterparts, reflecting a shift in focus from security, which dominated the agendas of past "Three Amigos" summits. Obama met with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to discuss commerce, immigration, energy and security.

TIME magazine's upcoming February 24 issue is drawing heavy criticism from Mexicans online. The cover is of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, but at the center of the backlash is the title and the content of the story. The country's leader is heralded as "Saving Mexico" and that his reforms have "changed the narrative in his narco-stained nation". 

On Feb. 19, President Obama heads to Mexico to meet with President Enrique Peña Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the North American Leaders' Summit. The three leaders will undoubtedly look back at the last 20 years, recognizing the mostly positive changes that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other cross-border ties have brought to the three nations.