Story highlights The future success of North America depends partly on how the U.S., Canada and Mexico work together

Andrés Martinez, Daniel Kurtz-Phelan: We should have a North American passport, like the European Union passport

Andrés Martinez is New America's editorial director for Future Tense, editorial director of Zócalo Public Square and professor of practice at the Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. Daniel Kurtz-Phelan is an Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fellow at New America and a former adviser on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's policy planning staff. This is the fourth in a series, "Big Ideas for a New America," in which the think tank New America spotlights experts' solutions to the nation's greatest challenges. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the authors.

(CNN) The future of the United States lies in North America. This is not a geographic truism, but a strategic imperative. Generations of Americans, distracted by far-flung crises, have long taken our own region for granted. This must change if the 21st century is to be an American century. The United States, Canada and Mexico are bound by a shared economic, environmental, demographic and cultural destiny. How we move forward together is key to our success.

Andrés Martinez

Daniel Kurtz-Phelan

In recognition of our shared destiny, the three countries should create a North American passport that would, over time, allow their citizens to travel, work, invest, learn and innovate anywhere in North America. Work, tourist and student visas are necessities in the modern world to regulate the flow of people between sovereign states.

In the North American context, much like within the European Union, our economies and societies are far more integrated than our immigration system recognizes -- and a North American passport, much like the EU passport, would align our laws with reality.

Such a move would provide a dramatic break from Washington's historical negligence of its "near abroad," which stems from a rare luxury. In contrast to other major continental powers through the centuries, the United States has not had to worry much about its neighbors and devote the bulk of its military resources to protecting its borders. With no real threat next door, the United States has felt free to roam elsewhere in the world, as unconstrained and secure as if we were an island nation.

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