Estudiando y trabajando: Global trade: a phenomenon that takes over the world.

For the Global Perspectives class, we analysed the Global Trade phenomenom, with some of its characteristics and effects. Later, we were given a questionnaire which I leave here now:

1) Do you consider these sorts of relationships to be an inevitable part of global trade?

Personally, I believe that in the capitalist world we live in, not having these sort of relationships as a result of global trade would be almost impossible. Nowadays, everything is a competition with the mere objective of earning money. Therefore, there will always be unequal relationships where one side dominates and takes advantage of the other, who has to bare the consequences (such as holding discarded technology in waste dumps). Furthermore, although these dominated countries will be exploited in the fabrication of the product, the price of the individual product may usually be higher than the monthly wage of the worker who created it.

2) Should factors such as the environment, human health, or the gap between rich and poor play a greater role in international relations, whatever the cost?

In my opinion, these affairs should have more relevance in international relationships, despite the economic losses. Governments should take more care of the environment, as it is the only home humanity has and if polluted, affects seriously their people's health (causing breathing diseases, asthma, risk of cancer, etc). In addition, the gap between the rich and the poor should be given more credit as this social inequality provokes poverty and social violence and resentment.

3) What is your own opinion about the issue?

In my view, this situation should change and be fairer for all sectors of global society, regardless of the social class or if you belong to a developed or developing country.

4) What more can you find about this issue? Make a summary of the different opinions you find.

Some argue that global trade is the result of cheap oil, virtual slave labour and environmental exploitation in developing countries. They question whether this will finish soon or if it will last only a little more time as protectionist measures are being implemented in some places and the increase of CO2 is revolutionising a world that is slowly trying to protect the environment.

Furthermore, Yale School of Management declares “trade almost always benefits the nations that engage in it, but only when averaged over the entire national economy”, noticing although that there is always an unheard minority which suffers the consequences of global trade.

However, there are other sectors which position themselves in favour of global trade. Unsurprisingly, these are the ones more benefited by the phenomenon, such as the US Chamber of Commerce, which states that global trade is so important that it should continue. They claim that global trade plays a key role in their country due to the employment it guarantees (as 41 million American jobs depend of this), the economic growth it brings, the rise of small and medium-sized companies it causes, the dependence of farmers on it, etc. Nevertheless, they do not account the disastrous effects it has on developing countries.