Globalism

With the end of World War II came the Cold War and the Pentagon’s constant readiness to wage global war, even to the point that some believed the American economy could not avoid another Depression without war contracts.

World War II was a watershed in American growth at home and abroad, ushering in an age of corporate dominance, consumerism and conformity. The Cold War with the Soviet Union became a pretext for attacking anything that suggested communism or even nationalism, and the U.S. labor force went along with it.

From Japan, on the expansion of the Trans-Pacific trade agreement and the homegrown battle to stop it.

The freer flow of commodities and capital has been one of the features of the contemporary process of globalization. Unlike in the earlier phase of globalization in the 19thcentury, however, the freer flow of commodities and capital has not been accompanied by a freer movement of labor globally.

Adidas, the German sportswear company, is making Olympics uniforms for the UK team at sweatshops in Tangerang city, Indonesia.

The increased strength of emerging countries of the South confronts the challenges of contemporary globalization.