The central problem of the coming century may have been forecast in one mid-December headline. That's the story, a microcosm of what's happening worldwide. Scattered U.S. plant closings, opening doors to incorporate the products of ever-cheaper labor abroad. All very good for investors. Not so good for the world's working families.
Globalization is an irreversible fact.
Our challenge for the 21st century will be to control it, manage it and humanize it. There must be some common rules to assure that it serves rather than exploits ordinary people. In 1993, I believed that the result of the North American Free Trade Agreement would be higher living standards for the average citizen in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Results, after six years, are disillusioning. Workers in Mexico are not better off.