Fulbright Visiting Scholar Donald Avery conducted research on the U.S.-Canada border policy.

Fulbright Visiting Scholar from Canada, Donald Avery, conducted his research on "Safeguarding the Border Since 9/11: A Comparative Analysis of Canadian and American Responses to Immigration Screening, Preventing Bioterrorism and Controlling Pandemics" at American University in Washington, DC.

Avery described his Fulbright experience as a "Tremendous opportunity to expand my knowledge on the U.S. perspective of terrorism. I benefited from the opportunity to talk to academics in a wide range of disciplines." Avery further described the history and future of Canadian-American border policy and the evolution of border policy in both a militaristic and biological sense.

Both countries, he explained, have had to adapt to working together in a post-9/11 world. Their policies must now consider how to handle and prevent future attacks, particularly with regard to bioterrorism. This shift has placed pressure on Canada to conform and accept U.S. border regulations. Avery said that this leads to difficulties because the two countries face different border issues. In Canada, immigration is not a problem. Instead, their main border security issue is smuggling.

The countries also face logistical challenges when increasing border security, said Avery. Avery suggests that the United States, Canada and Mexico all work together to form a partnership for security and prosperity and create border policy that acts in the interests of all.

Avery said that Canada and the United States have had a strong and powerful relationship ever since Franklin Roosevelt declared, "an attack on Canada is an attack on the United States." However, he acknowledged that there are challenges to the countries' different approaches to border security.