General agreement exists about at least two aspects of the formation and development of the trade blocs of North America and Europe. It is agreed, first, that the codified terms of the Canada-U.s. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the Single European Act (referred to here as Europe 1992) are formaI manifestations of certain inexorable processes and, second, that enactment of the agreements has consequences beyond the intentions of the framers. Other than these basic postulates, one is unlikely to find considerable agreement among researchers. Differences in theoretical outlooks, access to and interpretation of data, and national perspectives aIl conspire to colour analyses and predictions.