State control and centralisation are being abandoned for private sector involvement. The process of globalisation and the growing influence of the World Trade Organisation are visible markers of US success. Today, under the leadership of a Democrat, even American liberals are admitting that the government can no longer afford state welfare policies and embracing diminished government intervention. More importantly, they are promoting increased exports and integration into the global economy. It is now a normal practice for the US president to call the head of another state to put in a good word for a US company bidding for a contract there, or for the American secretary of commerce to lead a delegation of American business leaders to China, Japan or elsewhere.
Diplomacy is no longer the only realm of American ambassadors.
Ambassadors now advocate and engage in trade, issues of intellectual property rights and transparency, as well as investment protection agreements. In early March, US President Bill Clinton spoke proudly of the achievements of the US economy during his leadership. Last year witnessed the US economy's best economic performance since 1990. Inflation fell from 4.3 per cent in 1990 to less than two per cent in 1997. Real GDP witnessed an annual quarterly percentage change from less than 0.5 per cent in 1991 to 3.8 per cent in 1997.