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Wai Mian
Joined: 03 Sep 2010
Location: WE DIDNT
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 Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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| stilicho25 wrote: |
I think globalization has done more to further human development than any other developement I can think of. From the the time that Japan industrailized till the 80's I can't think of any area that developed. After the free trade policies came into place South Korea, Taiwan, the coastal areas of China, large parts of India all started to develop. Humanity has never had it so good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUwS1uAdUcI |
All of these examples are not free trade, they are devlopment states that used neo mecantilistic policies to take advantage of the US' need for allies in the region to encircle the Chinese. Comparative advantage woudl have dictated that J/K/T focused on primary good likes textiles and cash crops, instead they moved directly into making high value added products utilizing interventionist industrial policy, which could have been disastrous for their economies had they not been assured by the Commie-paranoid Americans that we would buy their products. Asia's wealth has nothing to do with free trade. |
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stilicho25
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
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| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2010 3:52 am Post subject: |
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I see your point. A couple things that struck me though.
I wouldn't say neo-mercantalist, as although I am not familiar with that term, the original mercantilist policies followed by the 18th century European empires demanded raw materials from the colonies which would be used for manufacturing which would then be sold back to the colony. Thats not really whats happening now is it? It looks like raw materials from the center are heading out to the colonies to be manufactured cheaply to be sold at the center. Kind of a reverse mercantalist of you ask me.
As for your broader point, yes, its not really free trade. How about "freer than before" trade. Access to American markets were the driving force for the development of the area, so although it was one way and stilted, It looked alot more like free trade then what came before. |
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Wai Mian
Joined: 03 Sep 2010
Location: WE DIDNT
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| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2010 4:51 am Post subject: |
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| stilicho25 wrote: |
I see your point. A couple things that struck me though.
I wouldn't say neo-mercantalist, as although I am not familiar with that term, the original mercantilist policies followed by the 18th century European empires demanded raw materials from the colonies which would be used for manufacturing which would then be sold back to the colony. Thats not really whats happening now is it? It looks like raw materials from the center are heading out to the colonies to be manufactured cheaply to be sold at the center. Kind of a reverse mercantalist of you ask me.
As for your broader point, yes, its not really free trade. How about "freer than before" trade. Access to American markets were the driving force for the development of the area, so although it was one way and stilted, It looked alot more like free trade then what came before. |
Mercantilism was the belief that a country needed to accumulate as much capital as possible, and yes, it was usually done through colonies in the 17th-19th C. J/K/T did it through import substitution and activist industrial policy, while enacting barriers to foreign investment, ownership and control that were only lessened when market saturation by native chaebol/keiretsu was a fait accompli.
It was a pretty one sided deal, the US traded reliable anti Communist votes in the UN and bases for expertise and technology and turned a blind eye to patent violations (Japan took 29 years to grant Texas Instruments a patent for its integrated circuit in 1960, by that time they had completely overrun the US semi conductor industry).
It was certainly more global than before, but 'free' is a matter for some debate. |
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sirius black
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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I haven't read all the posts. I have however pondered and debated the issue (American economy) with numerous friends and have formalized an opinion of it.
In a word 'we' (America) are f***ked. We have been in a while. China is the next world leader. They'll take over sooner or later. In a way I thnk they already are.
There are two things that I believe is/has happened the politicians, especially and specifically the Congress is OWNED by special interests. Different groups for either party although some share both. These groups fund their elections so they are beholden to them. The problem is the laws, regulatons and economic policies are designed to benefit these groups and if they do benefit the people its a byproduct Its residual.
The second thing is the American people itself. Some of us are totally ignorant and believe anything. Some of us simply don't care. Some of know and are burned out. Collectively all these different attitudes make it improbable Americans will organize to take the government back.
The constitution is just a piece of paper now with no meaning (FEMA, Patriots Act, Homeland Security, Echelon super computer, etc). |
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