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The region is back. Last week, from the snowy Swiss town of Davos, surrounded by central bankers and pop stars, Ian Bremmer, head of the Eurasia Group, explained the theme of this year’s World Economic Forum: “In response to the global power vacuum, we’ll see a return to geography as the primary organizing principle, where a country’s placement will determine its friends and enemies, trading partners, and foreign policy focus to an outsized degree.”

Vladimir Putin is pushing for a Eurasian Union, Saudi Arabia sees a major international role for its Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), and the eurozone lives on. So where is North America?

This week, OpenCanada brings together the top experts on relations between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. We ask them to contemplate what the decision to stop the Keystone XL pipeline means for this “special relationship,” how Canada is positioned in the new regional political order, and whether the continent has a future.

Robert Pastor, author of The North American Idea, explains why there is a genetic code unique to this continent. >>

Gerald Butts, CEO of WWF-Canada, argues that the Keystone XL will be passed as soon as the election is over and, thus, the Canada-U.S. relationship will not fundamentally change. >>

Isabel Studer, founding director of the Centre for Dialogue and Analysis on North America in Mexico, describes systems of production that are not Mexican, American, or Canadian – but North American. >>

The Sheila Nabb story has caught many Canadians attention – but is Mexico truly a failed state? Dalhousie’s Brian Bow argues that Mexico has the potential to be a success story – and it would be a mistake for Canada to give up hope now. >>

Christopher Sands, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, says Canada is a middle power, and should act like one. That means working with the United States to secure footing in the Asia-Pacific. >>

President Obama is too concerned with Mitt Romney and Super PACs. Don’t expect Beyond the Border to go anywhere, writes Professor Stephen Blank. >>

Photos courtesy of Reuters