World Trade - September 2008 - (Page 7) ® INSIDE WORLD TRADE Group Publisher Tom Esposito Publisher Sarah Harding Editorial Director Neil Shister shistern@bnpmedia.com Managing Editor Lara L. Sowinski Art Director Michael T. Powell Contributing Writers Mark Bernstein, Richard Barovick, Gail Dutton, Winn Hardin, Joshua Kurlantzick, Andrea MacDonald, Clay Risen, Jeremy Smith, April Terreri, Amy Zuckerman WORLD TRADE MAGAZINE EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Grant Belanger Ford Motor Company Director South America Operations Steve Palagyi Director, Pacific Region PRTM Consulting Erik Autor Vice President and International Counsel National Retail Federation Susan G. Esserman Chair, International Department Steptoe & Johnson Beth Enslow Global Supply Chain Resiliency Marsh, Inc. Kurt Cavano, Chairman and CEO, TradeCard Frank Vogl, Vogl Communications, Washington D.C. Thomas E. Crocker Co-Chair International Trade and Regulatory Group, Alston & Bird LLP The State of World Trade and the State of the States eography and history have made Americans essentially an inward-looking people. The buffer of two great oceans simultaneously protected us and made discourse with other countries largely unnecessary for most of the citizenry, a vast and prosperous NEIL SHISTER domestic economy lessened imperatives to develop external trade. So long as the post-World War II ground rules remained in place—a dominant U.S. manufacturing sector, a strong dollar serving as the global bench-mark currency, a cold war to lend authority to U.S. global leadership (and legitimate huge defense budgets that provided a multi-hundred billon dollar economic stimuli every year)—the pre-eminence of America amongst industrial nations seemed assured. Over the past decade the paradigm has significantly changed. American manufacturing has to re-invent itself, the dollar is in trouble, next year’s federal budget will run one of the biggest deficits ever (hasn’t a contributing cause in the collapse of great powers typically been an unsustainable military establishment?). And now, as if anybody still needs a wakeup call, the collapse of the Doha Round (as I write) serves as a final, inescapable reminder of how times have changed. This was a trade deal that, in the most part, embodied progressive initiatives for emerging countries (indeed, at the outset seven years ago Doha was christened ‘the development round,’ indicating its strategic intent to help poorer countries advance). Concessions had been arduously reached. The U.S.—and President Bush— were on board. So were the G-8 countries. WTO members convened in Geneva, agreement appeared imminent. Everything was in place—until at the final moment, unexpectedly, China said “wo bu yao” (I don’t want it!). And with that, some thirty years progress in global trade liberalization (guided by G SALES Publisher /Midwest Sales National Sales Director-East Sarah Harding 216.991.4861 hardings@worldtrademag.com Randi Giambruno 516.377.3906 giambrunor@worldtrademag.com Ed Lohmann 925.648.2562 lohmanne@worldtrademag.com Vito Laudati 630.694.4018 Fax: 248.283.6618 laudativ@bnpmedia.com Hong Kong Office Publicitas Wendy Lin Tel: 852.2527.3525, Fax: 852.2528.3260 Steve Beyer Tel: 847.516.1977, Cell: 630.699.7625 beyers@bnpmedia.com National Sales Director-West Inside Sales Manager/Print Asia Director Custom Media OPERATIONS STAFF Production Manager Marketing Coordinator Web Seminar Project Manager Reprint Manager & Trade Show Coordinator Group Audience Development Manager Multimedia Manager Corp. Audience Audit Manager Research Editor Postal List Rental E-mail List Rental Single Copy & Back Issue Sales John Talan, 248.244.8253 Danielle Kimble Bryan Cairns, 248.786.1613 Sunny Coverly 610.436.4220 ext. 8522 coverlys@bnpmedia.com Christopher Sheehy Katie Jabour Catherine Ronan Amy Mills Robert Liska, 800.223.2194 robert.liska@edithroman.com Shawn Kingston, 800.409.4443 shawn.kingston@epostdirect.com Ann Kalb, 248.244.6499 kalba@bnpmedia.com WORLD TRADE HEADQUARTERS 600 Willowbrook Lane Ste. 610 West Chester, Pa. 19382 www.worldtrademag.com CORPORATE Washington) screeched to a halt. In the past, WTO trade deals get salvaged at the stroke of midnight, as will perhaps Doha. But even if it’s revived, the message is clear: a new world order is taking shape, one in which the United States must participate for our own self-interests but cannot arbitrarily, unilaterally control. The ignorance and indifference that America has largely displayed toward the rest of the world is no longer affordable. In many respects, the Presidential debate in 2008 is very much about the imperatives of an international approach, one capable of protecting U.S. interests while embracing multi-nationalism in such areas as the environment and economic growth. “Trade has allowed nations to benefit from specialization and economies of scale to produce more efficiently,” reads the overview to the WTO’s annual report this year. “It has raised productivity, supported the spread of knowledge and new technologies, and enriched the range of choices available.” But even in countries that have prospered (such as the U.S.), the report notes that the benefits are neither universally acknowledged nor distributed. “Support for globalization,” it ominously warns, “appears to be waning in the industrialized countries…disregard for rising public concern about some aspects of globalization threatens to undermine the legitimacy of governments and imperils social support.” What’s the enlightened response? The WTO recommends balance between open markets and complementary domestic policies (read: education and training, support for new sustainable technologies, collective risk-sharing as in universal medical insurance). Is U.S. leadership ready? CORPORATE DIRECTORS Publishing Timothy A. Fausch Publishing David M. Lurie Publishing John R. Schrei Audience Development Christine A. Baloga Information Technology David P. Brown Finance Lisa L. Paulus Human Resources Rita M. Foumia Conferences & Events Scott A. Wolters Production Vincent M. Miconi Directories Nikki Smith Creative Michael T. Powell Marketing Douglas B. Siwek Clear Seas Research John E. Thomas BNP Media Helps People Succeed in Business with Superior Information BNP Media Corporate Telephone: 248. 244.6400 Neil Shister, Editorial Director shistern@worldtrademag.com For subscription information or service, please contact Customer Service at: Tel: 847.763.9534 or Fax: 847.763.9538 or e-mail WTR@halldata.com PRINTED IN THE USA WWW.WORLDTRADEMAG.COM 7 http://www.worldtrademag.com http://WWW.WORLDTRADEMAG.COM
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