In December 2011, Canada and the United States unveiled a joint border policy blueprint, now better known as the The initiative was almost 10 months in the making, following the February 2011 declaration that signalled a new turn in continental security with the adoption of the perimeter approach to border management. The perimeter security model aims to unburden the Canada-US border by addressing threats before they can enter either country. Clearly satisfied with the outcome of months of consultations between the two governments, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper confidently stated that agreements represent the most significant step forward in Canada- U S cooperation since the North American free trade agreement.1 Yet these agreements are also significant in that they exclude Mexico, which is party to NAFTA.Beyond the border is the product of a healthy and functional bilateral relationship, rather than the culmination of ongoing regional integration processes. To put things in perspective, I offer an analysis of border policy coordination between Canada and the US through the prism of their longstanding relationship as close allies. Longstanding allies such as Canada and the United States generally develop dense consultative mechanisms through which common threats can be addressed. Indeed, close cooperative ties between the two countries make joint policy innovation possible, at multiple levels of governance. This routine and functional relationship has enabled Canada and the US to display a high degree of responsiveness to border policy challenges, motivating improvements that would not have been possible under a trilateral scheme.2I argue that the policy design of beyond the border benefited from adaptive learning, acquired through frequent interactions between both countries as well as high-level political involvement from each government. However, I also argue that implementation of the commitments taken by Harper and US President Barack Obama are likely to be uneven, despite the delivery of two ambitious joint action plans, the perimeter security and economic competitiveness action plan and the regulatory cooperation council joint action plan. The first initiative is articulated around four priorities: the early identification of threats; trade facilitation, economic growth, and jobs; integrated crossborder law enforcement; and critical infrastructure and cybersecurity. The second is focused on regulatory inefficiencies that impede trade between Canada and the US. It aims to redress regulatory misalignments in the areas of agriculture and food, transportation, environment, health, and consumer products. Despite the scope and depth of these proposed reforms, these commitments are not binding under international law and are thus vulnerable to political changes in Washington, especially with the upcoming presidential election in 2012. In addition, exactly how the action plans will be funded remains unclear as there is no special budgetary allocation for beyond the border. In sum, Canada-US deliberations on border policy show that a good working relationship translates into greater policy adaptability, but that this flexibility can also be an impediment to effective implementation.ADAPTIVE LEARNING ON THE BORDEROver the last decade, Canada- U S border policy has been characterized by adaptive learning, which can be broadly understood as policy innovation resulting from past experiences in a given issue area.3 Following the 2001 smart border accords, new security measures were introduced at the border, including more intrusive screening procedures and advanced security technology to process border flows. Stakeholders on both sides of the border have advocated policy adjustments as these measures were tested and problems encountered. These problems motivated certain improvements along the way, ultimately culminating in the beyond-the-border action plans. Border policy over the past 10 years has been an adaptive learning process, in that new solutions were introduced within the existing framework. …