Trade and Globalization

The United States, it is said, has been violently inducted into membership of the rest of the world. Some commentators have noted with satisfaction that at last US decision-makers will appreciate the experience of-depending on their sympathies-Israelis, Belgraders, Nicaraguans or the residents of Baghdad. Kinder commentators reflected that terrorism is a fact of life in Britain, India, Turkey and elsewhere and that Americans would have had to lose the illusion of invulnerability sooner or later-if not so suddenly and horribly.

In 2001, Ted Halstead and Michael Lind wrote The Radical Center, a book that proposed to take American politics in a totally new direction -- away from "our rigid two-party cartel" and toward a centrism that they said didn't exist in an electoral sense.

In 2010, Sam Tanenhaus revisited the book in The New York Times Book Review to see how well their ideas held up. An excerpt from his essay is below:

Are expanding trade, globalization and corporate responsibility compatible? Do multinational corporations have an economic interest and/or moral obligation to operate in a responsible manner? Should consumers expect multinationals to operate in a responsible manner? Are governments powerless to encourage responsible corporate behaviour, given the competitive nature of the global marketplace?

As Japan's political culture evolves under the premiership of the eccentric but popular Junichiro Koizumi, many questions arise about the net results and sustainability of this new "reform" government. Prime Minister Koizumi has proposed sweeping reforms across the governmental spectrum in Japan, from tax allocations to Japan's military relationship with the United States to the organization of power within the central government itself.

Debates about race, immigration politics, and battles about historical and national identity seem to be gaining momentum not only in the United States but also in many countries in the world. Sometimes it is extremely useful to look at similar cultural and identity tension in other contexts to reflect on our own circumstances -- and thus it pleases us to host one of Germany's most dynamic, young thinkers and politicians in this arena.

Although the issue has not gotten as much attention as tax cuts and Social Security reform, the 2000 elections present voters with a sharp contrast on the future of international trade agreements. Vice President Al Gore favors addressing labor rights and the environment in trade agreements; Texas Gov. George W. Bush calls such measures a needless bow to protectionists. But there is far more to this issue than campaign rhetoric would suggest.

Baluchistan

This past April in Quetta, the bleached-gray, drought-stricken capital of the Pakistani border province of Baluchistan, I awoke to explosions and gunfire. In search of the violence, my translator, Jamil, and I jumped into a four-wheel-drive Toyota and raced through the section of town inhabited by Pashtoon tribesmen.