Centers and bordertowns: Tracing the origins of cooperation at the Mexico-United States border (1521–1994)

This dissertation examines the ways in which the States and local populations participate in the construction of binational cooperation after a territorial war. Tracing the evolution of the territorial shape of the American and Mexican States, as well as the institutional history of their common border, we examine the behavior of local border populations in Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas in instances where private property was affected by various boundary shifts. We show that when States are in the phase of state-building -when they do not have the legitimate monopoly over the use of force over their claimed territories- the behavior and interests of actors other than the central governments become salient. More specifically, locals who live adjacent to the border and whose interests are affected by a territorial shift can choose to participate in either violent or peaceful terms in defining the shape of the State In the absence of institutions that channel their grievances, locals\u27 actions can contribute to the escalation of binational tensions. In turn, the resolution of border disputes and the emergence of border specific institutions are facilitated when centers and bordertowns consult each other and take each other\u27s interests into consideration. Once the States are consolidated, and once there is sufficient institutional density around solving border and territorial disputes, the participation of locals becomes less important. Ultimately, binational relations can becomes less volatile, even after a territorial war, when there is a certain degree of institutionalization and when the resolution of controversies becomes a matter of procedure and not a matter of contentious politics, as so often happens after a territorial war or dispute