His was a money-making venture. But as Columbus and a host of other, predominantly Iberian, explorers set off for what they thought was India, or around the African continent, they created a demand for faster, more powerful sailing ships. The same impulse is, today, drawing the globe together. In Irvine there are 600-plus international firms. Every one of them depends for its survival upon information about and access to foreign markets.
Japanese firms open factories in Tennessee to build cars for export to Canada.
Travel anywhere around the world, and you will find evidence that we are entering the era of a global economy. I mourn the loss of regional culture. Right now international law governing the global marketplace is relatively primitive. That's where local governments have been especially effective. That's taking local responsibility for the actions of an international firm.