  Motivated by the intimate connection between the strong CP problem and the
flavor structure of the Standard Model, we present a flavor model that revives
and extends the classic ${m_u=0}$ solution to the strong CP problem. QCD is
embedded into a $SU(3)_1\times SU(3)_2 \times SU(3)_3$ gauge group, with each
generation of quarks charged under the respective $SU(3)$. The non-zero value
of the up-quark Yukawa coupling (along with the strange quark and bottom-quark
Yukawas) is generated by contributions from small instantons at a new scale $M
\gg \Lambda_{QCD}$. The Higgsing of $SU(3)^3\to SU(3)_c$ allows dimension-5
operators that generate the Standard Model flavor structure and can be
completed in a simple renormalizable theory. The smallness of the third
generation mixing angles can naturally emerge in this picture, and is connected
to the smallness of threshold corrections to $\bar\theta$. Remarkably,
$\bar\theta$ is essentially fixed by the measured quark masses and mixings, and
is estimated to be close to the current experimental bound and well within
reach of the next generation of neutron and proton EDM experiments.
