Canada - U.S. merger

Should Canada and the United States merge? What once might have seemed like a crackpot idea is given a very serious look in Diane Francis' new book Merger of the Century: Why Canada and America Should Become One Country.  Her premise is that Canada needs the United States' protection—and capital. And the United States needs Canada's untapped natural resources and strategic land mass. It's a perfect match according to Francis. Of course, this isn't a new idea. Had a few battles in the War of 1812 gone differently, the amalgamation of the two countries might have happened 200 years ago. And whenever Quebec threatens secession (as it did seriously in the 1980s and again in the 90s), there is talk about which of the other provinces might join the U.S. What's new is Francis careful weighing of the economic and political issues as they stand today. The Wall Street Journal found the idea interesting, and devoted two-thirds of a page to Francis' ideas. But the Journal had no map! So I created one (above.)