On 15 Jan 2002 at 22:09, Kakki wrote: > On the other hand many average citizens in those countries benefit > from either being employed at those large companies, whose continued > economic health is greatly bolstered by having a large and stable > American market to sell their products to, or from the taxes paid by > those companies, which serves to fund their countries social programs.
So the fact that there may be some direct or indirect benefit implies that the right to be critical is precluded? (Even though we enjoy the reciprocal benefit of their participation in our market?) If you follow that logic, then neither U.S. citizens nor the U.S. government should criticize the "axis of evil" nations because of, for example, the $5.8 billion in "mineral fuel" imports from Iraq in 2001 or whatever indirect benefit U.S. companies may enjoy from the likes of France's trade with Iraq or Germany's trade with North Korea. Our economic fate is more and more intertwined with the rest of the world and likewise the rest of the world with us. And it seems that nationalism will have a decreasingly important place as the world economy evolves. In my view, all participants should have a voice, whether we like what they have to say or not. Brenda
