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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jttmab who wrote (122066)	12/25/2003 10:52:37 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

You lost me there. When the Europeans discovered the Americas and stole the gold and silver from the indigenous people, that was globalization. Globalization is being driven by access to information by the general population. People see the rest of the world via the internet, infrastructure has been developed which now makes the entire world someone's market, and they are slowly, but surely pressuring their governments to diversify their economies and financial systems.. China is a prime example of this.. The Chinese people have demanded a more secure financial system and economic property rights.. and these are finally being implemented. But these things are not really in the interest of the power elite, now are they? They want to control their political and economic systems for their own benefit, not to empower current, or future, rivals. Real Thomas Friedman's books on the subject.. IMO, he's one of the best resources for understanding globalization in a layman's form and how it is finding itself in conflict with reactionary forces within their societies. So what do we do? We impose tariffs, subsidize various industries, e.g., steel and farm products so the US producers have an economic advantage over countries that have lower costs of production Sure.. We've seen institutional protectionism in Japan through the Zaibatsus and discriminatory distribution networks, and we've other government use currency devaluation to make their products even more attractive in foreign markets. And IMO, that's why the USD is in decline as of late.. Bush has decided to wage his own form of currency devaluation to fight the cheap labor and institutionalized protectionism found in other countries. And well we should, within limits.. We have a tremendous amount of leverage being 1/3 of the global economy and we d*mn well should take advantage of it to ensure that reasonably equitable trade exchange takes place between our nations. And rational individual understands that competitors seldom have an interest in decreasing their advantage against other rivals, unless coerced. It will be a constant battle being waged economically.. And that's far more preferable than armed conflict over economic "turf". It's hard to be "popular" in a third world cotton producing country that has a cost of production 1/3 the cost of US producers, yet can't sell cotton because the US government subsidizes the cotton industry by $4B/year. And what about government "cooperatives" which pay their cotton farmers markedly inferior prices for their cotton so they can turn around and sell at international market prices (with corrupt officials pocketing the profit)?? But I do agree that US cotton subsidies have gone overboard in favor of such parochial interests. And it is hurting US consumers. Again.. this is where globalization will come into play as more of the world's producers will be able to directly sell their goods into the international markets, obtaining market prices for their goods. Hawk

To: jttmab who wrote (122066)	12/26/2003 7:12:38 PM
From: Lazarus_Long	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

You lost me there. When the Europeans discovered the Americas and stole the gold and silver from the indigenous people, that was globalization. Is there a statute of limitations on international crimes? Shouldn't there be? Or shall every square foot taken from someone else at gunpoint be forever after a just cause for war? You tell us you're American. Your forebears benefited from that theft. Are you buying land and giving it to native Americans in restitution? Globalization has been going on for some 100,000 years. I agree, it's unstoppable. Would you tell that to your liberal friends? I have and have pointed out that the technology that allows outsourcing and offshoring is here, it exists, and it ain't going away. As a consequence I'm a neoNazi and a traitor. On the other hand, we're not pleased that other countries that have lower per capita income can produce product and services at a lower price than the US. [duh]. Yes. And the Luddites are raising H**l these days.