Earlier this year I talked to two people who told me that globalization is shaking up US society because corrupt politicians just look the other way. All of the negative affects of liberalized trade, they said, could be prevented by the government acting in the interests of ordinary citizens rather than those of corporations.
While it's true that large special interests must get something for their political contributions, I don't think poor policy making explains the negative effects of globalization.
Technology has shaken up everything, and there's nothing that can turn it back, at least not if we're interested in continuing to have heaps of consumer products. We're falling into history. A future history book might have a chapter titled, "The 21st Century: The Decline of the Nation State". That's bigger than any crooked politicians. After 30 centuries, the nation state is the devil we know. Thanks to cheap energy and telecommunications, we're just starting to try something new.
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