Christopher Sands

Bio

Christopher Sands directs the Canada Project, the Center's ongoing research effort on Canadian affairs. In this capacity, he has written on Canadian politics, Canada-U.S. relations, Quebec separatism, NAFTA, the North American auto industry, Canadian culture and trade, and the role of the U.S. Congress in North America. He is the author of two regular CSIS publications that appear on its Web site: Canada Focus and North American Integration Monitor. His most recent publications include The North American Auto Industry under NAFTA (CSIS, 1998), edited with Sidney Weintraub, and "How Canada Policy is made in the United States," a chapter in Canada Among Nations 2000 (Oxford, 2000). Prior to joining CSIS, he was the Canadian affairs specialist for the Michigan World Trade Center, led a state of Michigan office charged with the promotion of trade and investment with Canada, and in 1990 served on Michigan governor James J. Blanchard's Task Force on International Trade. In 1999, he has a Fulbright Scholar and visiting fellow at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa. He holds a B.A. in political science from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and an M.A. in Canadian studies and international economics from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, where he is currently pursuing a doctorate in international relations and economics.

Academic Background

  • William J. Fulbright Scholar, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, Ottawa 1999-2000

  • Ph.D. candidate, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, Washington D.C. (September 1997 to date)

  • M.A. Canadian Studies and International Economics, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, Washington D.C., 1994

  • B.A. Political Science, Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1989

  • Visiting Student, Carleton University, Ottawa 1987-1988

Areas of Expertise

  • Canadian politics, foreign policy, trade and economics; U.S. policy regarding Canada; North American regional integration, trade, and economics; North American auto industry; culture and international trade

Present Position (s)

  • Director, Canada Project and Fellow, Americas Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Previous Position (s)

  • Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Washington, D.C. (1993, 1995 to date)

  • Project Coordinator and Research Associate, Canada Project (January 1996 to January 1997)

  • Project Coordinator, Canada Project (January 1995 to January 1996)

  • Project Assistant, Canada Project (March 1993 to November 1993)

  • Instructor, NAFTA Seminar, Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (January 1997 to September 1997)

  • Consultant, Michigan Small Business Development Center, Wayne State University, Detroit (November 1993 to December 1994)

  • Manager, Port Huron-St. Clair County International Trade Office (April 1990 to July 1991)

  • Canadian Affairs Specialist, Michigan World Trade Center (September 1989 to April 1990)

  • Canadian Consulate General, Minneapolis (1988-1989)

  • Public Affairs Assistant (May 1989 to September 1989)

  • Consultant, Organizational Development (September 1988 to January 1989)

Other Activities and Memberships

Recent Publications

Books, Chapters and Other Major Publications

  • “The Border After September 11: Learning the Lessons of the Section 110 Experience” chapter in A Fading Power: Canada Among Nations 2002 edited by Maureen Appel Molot and Norman Hillmer. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press, forthcoming in 2002

  • To Prevail: An American Strategy for the Campaign Against Terrorism. Contributing author to volume edited by Kurt M. Campbell and Michele A. Flournoy. Washington: CSIS Press, 2001

  • Canada: A Self-Study Guide. Area Studies Division, United States Foreign Service Institute, Washington: U.S. Department of State, September 2001

  • “How Canada Policy is Made in the United States” chapter in Vanishing Borders: Canada Among Nations 2000 edited by Maureen Appel Molot and Fen Osler Hampson. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press, 2000

  • The North American Auto Industry under NAFTA. Co-edited with Sidney Weintraub. Significant Issues Series v. XX n.5. Washington: CSIS Press, 1998

Recent Papers and Other Publications (since January 2000)

  • “The Eavesdropping Problem” CSIS Canada Focus, v. 3, issue 1 (Washington: CSIS Americas Program) January 2002

  • “The FTAA: A U.S. Perspective and Three Possible Scenarios” Paper co-authored with Sidney Weintraub and presented as part of a North American Economics and Finance Association panel at the American Economics Association and Allied Social Science Associations conference, Atlanta, Georgia. January 5, 2002

  • “A Chance to End the Culture Trade Conflict Between Canada and the United States.” American Review of Canadian Studies, v.31 n.3 Autumn 2001

  • “Global Trade 911: Future U.S. Trade Policy and Canadian Interests” Speech to the Centre for Trade Policy and Law, Ottawa, Ontario. November 27, 2001

  • “The Canadian Policy Response to the United States after September 11, 2001” Testimony before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, House of Commons, Parliament of Canada. November 27, 2001

  • “North American Energy and Canadian Power” Paper presented at the Sixteenth Biennial Conference of the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States, San Antonio, Texas. November 14-18, 2001

  • “Cornerstone States in the North American Community” Paper presented at the Sixteenth Biennial Conference of the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States, San Antonio, Texas. November 14-18, 2001

  • “The Evolution of the North American Automotive Trade Regime” Paper presented at the Sixteenth Biennial Conference of the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States, San Antonio, Texas. November 14-18, 2001

  • “The Domestication of Foreign Affairs: Canada’s Relations with the United States as Integration Deepens and Globalization Widens” Paper presented at the conference, The Administration of Canadian Foreign Policy: A Renewed Challenge? Co-sponsored by the École Nationale d’Administration Publique of the University of Quebec, the Institute of Public Affairs in Canada, and the Canadian Institute of International Affairs, Hull, Quebec. November 3, 2001

  • “Canada and the War on Terrorism: The U.S. Challenge on the North American Front” CSIS Canada Focus, v. 2, issue 3 (Washington: CSIS Americas Program) October 2001

  • “North American Linkages: A U.S. Perspective” Prepared remarks for presentation to the North American Linkages Conference, sponsored by Industry Canada. Calgary, Alberta. June 22, 2001

  • “What Does the Great Lakes Region Have in CommonOther than the Great Lakes?” Prepared remarks for presentation to the Great Lakes Regional Forum on Agri-food, sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Policy and Farm Finance Division. Guelph, Ontario. June 7, 2001

  • “Foreword” with Sidney Weintraub in The North American Auto Industry Beyond NAFTA: Automotive Tariffs and Border Barriers by Maureen Appel Molot. CSIS Policy Papers on the Americas series, v. XII n.4. (Washington: CSIS Americas Program, 2001)

  • “Latin America: From the Summit to the Other Side of the Mountain” CSIS Canada Focus, v. 2, issue 2 (Washington: CSIS Americas Program) March 2001.

  • “Foreword” in Quebec and the Americas: Building A Common Future by Diane Wilhelmy. CSIS Policy Papers on the Americas series, v. XII n.3. (Washington: CSIS Americas Program, 2001)

  • “Foreword” in The Third Summit of the Americas: Quebec City 2001 by Miguel Diaz, Georges A. Fauriol and Sidney Weintraub. CSIS Policy Papers on the Americas series, v. XII n.2. (Washington: CSIS Americas Program, 2001)

  • “Canada-United States Integration and George W. Bush: Key Policy Challenges of North American Linkage” Paper presented at the 12th Annual Policy Conference of the Canadian Association of Business Economists, Chateau Laurier, Ottawa, Ontario, March 29, 2001

  • “If Bush is Bart, we must be Milhouse” National Post February 15, 2001

  • “Welcome Homeland: Updating the Canada-United States Security Relationship” Paper presented at the Political Studies Student Conference, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, February 2, 2001

  • “From B2B to G2G: Re-engineering the Canada-United States Relationship” Paper presented at the Dalhousie Business Seminar, School of Business, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, January 28, 2001

  • “Canada and the Bush Challenge” CSIS Canada Focus, v. 2, issue 1 (Washington: CSIS Americas Program) January 2001

  • “Foreword” with Sidney Weintraub in The North American Auto Industry Beyond NAFTA: Productivity and Industrial Relations by John P. Tuman. CSIS Policy Papers on the Americas series, v. XI n. 2. (Washington: CSIS Americas Program, 2000)

  • “One Economy, Two Systems” CSIS Canada Focus, v. 1, issue 3 (Washington: CSIS Americas Program) November 2000

  • “Canada-United States Integration: Six Challenges for Economic and Public Policy Analysis” Paper presented at the Southern Economic Association conference, Arlington, Virginia, November 10, 2000

  • “The Border to Be” Paper presented at the conference Rethinking the Line: The Canada-U.S. Border organized by the Policy Research Secretariat of the Canadian Privy Council Office with the participation of the University of British Columbia and the University of Washington, held at Vancouver, British Columbia, October 23, 2000

  • “Integrated National Security Interests and National Defense” Paper presented at the conference Rethinking the Line: The Canada-U.S. Border organized by the Policy Research Secretariat of the Canadian Privy Council Office with the participation of the University of British Columbia and the University of Washington, held at Vancouver, British Columbia, October 23, 2000

  • “Fear and the New Frontier” Horizons, v. 3, n. 2 (Ottawa: Policy Research Secretariat, Privy Council Office, September 2000)

  • “A Vote for Canadian Equilibrium” CSIS Canada Focus, v. 1, issue 2 (Washington: CSIS Americas Program) September 2000

  • “This Pregnant Pause: The Future of Cultural Trade Conflict between Canada and the United States” Paper presented to the Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations 2000 conference, Toronto, Ontario, June 23, 2000

  • “The God that Failed Canadians” CSIS Canada Focus, v. 1, issue 1 (Washington: CSIS Americas Program) June 2000

  • “Canada’s coup d’éclat” Canada Alert. CSIS Hemisphere 2000 series, n. VIII, issue 6. (Washington: CSIS Americas Program) March 27, 2000

  • “Take me to your current leader: Washington, Paul Martin and Jean Chrétien” The Ottawa Citizen. March 22, 2000

  • “The U.S. Policy Response to Canada on Border Security.” Testimony before the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims, United States House of Representatives. January 26, 2000

Current Research Projects

Upgrading the Interface: Securing the Border and Beyond
In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Washington is focusing new attention on the challenges posed by Canada-U.S. integration and the management of a simultaneously open and secure border. But bilateral integration requires that the entire interface between the Canadian and U.S. governmental systems be improved, to facilitate more efficient and effective regulation for a host of purposes, from national security to national prosperity. This initiative will consider the options and recommend strategies for upgrading the Canada-U.S. relationship to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Measuring North American Integration
Despite widespread agreement among scholars and policymakers that economic integration among the United States, Canada and Mexico is growing and has important consequences, there remains no accepted measurement that captures the degree of relative integration between jurisdictions. CSIS is bringing together public and private sector experts in an attempt to develop a consensus around a workable approach to measuring integration.
Cornerstone States in the North American Community
A research effort to consider the effects of growing integration with Canada and Mexico on the political economy of four large U.S. states: California, Michigan, New York and Texas - each of which plays a major role in trade with Canada and Mexico.

Recommended Links

SICE - OAS
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Government Canada

Areas of Interest

  • Trade liberalization

  • Regional Economic Integration

  • Canada’s role in the western hemisphere

  • U.S. policy, multinational corporations in international relations