What can what is generally regarded as the social sciences offer in explaining the US-Mexico border? Disciplines such as political science, sociology, anthropology and architecture (?) are reviewedin...

Explaining the complexity of the US-Mexico border
The border that U.S. and Mexico share is by no means a small one. The border covers 3,145 kilometres a long stretch that not only has given the two countries a lot in common but also a lot to share. The connection of the two countries goes beyond simple interaction and border sharing. It covers an array of social sciences to explain the complex relationship between the two countries.
The two countries seriously rely on each other on several aspects. Historically, the border areas developed rapidly due to the 1963 Border Industrialization Program that gradually expanded till 1990’s. In 1993, the NAFTA agreement sealed the economic interdependency of both the countries and today, the three countries have the largest trade partnerships with each other (Villarreal, 2012). After September 11, the security needs added a barrier to the free trade between the nations. The barrier arose in the form of high expenditure on security checks at the border for inspection of the huge traffic across the countries (Andreas, 2012).
Border studies have been a relatively new area of study in which the primary role was played by...