Globalism and the U.S. Miscalculation.
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For decades American capitalists have fought for the globalization of the world economy. Free markets and free trade were their mantra. From 1945 to 1989 the Americans had to pervert their viewpoint because of the global competition with communism. World economics were entangled with the politics of the cold war. Everything from economic investment to political and military support was tied to this competition. In economic terms capital did not flow naturally to nations and regions that markets would dictate. Rather; it flowed to nations and regions deemed important to the overall political strategy. The result of this was abject poverty and exploitation in many regions of the world and intense support for capitalist pockets in other regions (namely Asia).Entire regions were neglected unless they could provide a primary natural resource (namely oil). Africa was essentially ignored economically drawing attention only when a political crisis might bring additional Soviet influence. Latin American economies and society were largely unobserved because the U.S. strategy of supporting strong arm Latin governments was largely successful stemming Soviet influence in the region.
With the end of the cold war true globalism could begin with capital flowing to regions and countries based primarily on their economic potential. The Marxist criticism of world capitalism had always been that exploitation was a one-way street with developing countries using their superior skills, education, and economic, political and legal development to maintain their pre-eminence at the expense of the developing world. The major miscalculation is that the American government and much of the population believed this too.
Americans now find that their commitment to the past has them at a significant disadvantage in the new global environment. The American political system has a strong anti-intellectual, anti-science base. Its education system produces a few stars but a large bulk of graduates who are simply not at a level to make them competitive with graduates in Europe, Asia, and India. A nation where nearly half the population fights scientific explanations of the world will simply get passed over by peoples more concerned with their economic situation than their relationship with God. A nation whose workforce cannot back away from its comfortable standard of living and high wages will be steamrolled by the global transfer of production off shore. A nation that is dependent on cheap energy will falter when that energy isn't so cheap.
The current wave of factory transfers and technology expansion to peoples outside of the United States is simply the tip of a huge iceberg. American citizenry is simply in no position to compete in the global economy at a level that will maintain its present lifestyle. It used to be the developing world that fought global capitalism. As witnessed in Seattle in 1999, it is becoming the Americans who are resisting.
As long as the health of the economy is measured by corporate profits the United States should continue to portray a rosy picture. Multinational corporations will prosper in the new environment. By most other measures; however, the Americans have a great deal to be concerned. Its political system courts anti-intellectualism. Its populace embraces it, along with ignorance, militarism and the remnants of unionism. In the new global environment there will be an Indian, Mexican, or Chinese worker happy to provide what Americans are unable or unwilling to provide. Americans will find themselves working at Wal*Marts, able to afford only what they can purchase at Wal*Mart.
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