It is all about individual initiative and that common denominator which should be closest to the hearts of Americans: freedom. The free flow of information. The free movement of goods and services. The free migrations of peoples. Traditional boundaries are dissolving as ideas and products are traded on an increasingly global basis. The world is changing, and that change is accelerating with the proliferation of technology. Countries and individuals need to get with it or get left behind. The global economy offers wealth and prosperity to the educated and the savvy. It punishes severely the uneducated, the unambitious, and those who cannot or refuse to adapt to new economic conditions. Wealth has increased since the end of the Cold War and the rise of the Global Economy, as millions (especially in the developing world) have seen their fortunes rise through individual initiative and entrepreneurship. Undoubtedly there still exists much poverty in the world, especially in the 3rd world. But it is better than it was in the past, and it will be even better in the future. To erect barriers to global trade and free flows of information and capital and to return to a protectionist past would also signal a return to the poverty and underdevelopment of the past - especially in the 3rd world. The future is now. It is in the poorest regions of the world where global trade has led to the creation of millions of jobs where there none before, narrowed the gap between the rich and poor, and helped to topple dictators. In the developed world, the Global Economy has produced new high-paying jobs and affordable goods, and contributed to the prosperity of the New Economy as wealth and investment have increased to unheard of levels in America.
The Global Economy is here to stay. Increasingly we live in an economy in the United States where knowledge, not buildings or machinery, is the chief resource, and where knowledge workers make up the biggest and most profitable portion of the work force. Well into the 20th century most workers were manual workers and earned their daily bread by the sweat of their backs. Today in this country only about 20% do manual work. Of the remained, 40% of our total work force, are knowledge workers who make by far the best salaries and earn companies the highest profits. The message is clear: get educated and never stop educating yourself, as your knowledge is what makes you valuable. In the Global Economy one needs always to learn new skills in order to stay competitive and on the cutting-edge of new trends and technologies - or get left in the dust. If you are smart and ambitious, the world is the limit. If you get yourself an education, virtually unlimited opportunities await you. Creative work, the opportunity to travel, respect and prestige, and wealth are all not only possible but likely. If you fail to get educated, it will be an uphill battle in the world of work: tedium and drudgery, little prestige or respect, and low salaries and fewer benefits. Strong backs and human sweat come cheap, but the ability to think, reason, and continually acquire new skills comes rarer and will be rewarded as never before in the American economy in this "Information Age." Get with it, or get left in the dust. This is the new Global Economy. Are you ready?
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Basic overview of globalization given by the International Monetary Foundation international organization of 184 member countries. Established to help promote international monetary cooperation, exchange stability, and orderly exchange arrangements; to foster economic growth and high levels of employment; and to provide temporary financial assistance to countries to help ease balance of payments adjustment: http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/ib/2000/041200.htm#I
World Trade Organization: http://www.wto.org/
World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/
Search PBS for hundreds of articles and programs that discuss globalization: http://www.pbs.org/
