How do you make trading partners of formerly "Third World Nations"?

I want to act like a historian for this blog item.  To President Trump, the presidents since WWII were dumb, treating the backward nations as legitimate trading and business-astute partners, offering them "most favored nation" status that virtually eliminated tariffs in selling their goods abroad that were once made in the US.   All they needed was to join a trade organization, such as the WTO.

But there are rules and regulations imposed by a trade organization upon its members.  For one thing, the accounting method known as GAAP must be deployed in the financial books of its corporations and business enterprises.  And so on.  Now if China wants to maintain the status of a trading partner, one whose businesses are governed by GAAP rules, then it will benefit by the most favorite nation, paying minimum import tax among all businesses in member states.

While trade organizations were promulgated by the Advanced Nations, e.g., the United States, the idea was to sell their financial procedures and concepts to all those nations seeking to become world class trading partners, i.e., its companies participating in trading deals with others around the globe.
The carrot to backward nations was low tariffs.  Moreover, to assure compliance with the trade organization's rules, third world nations would include companies of the Advanced Nations, which established regional corporate centers in these backward countries.

That is, a certain number of  companies that moved some of their operations abroad would lose their employees at home--say, in the US.

But thank God for President Trump who can up the tariff upon the company divisions that produce goods abroad and would sell  them in the US at cheaper cost than had their production occurred on US soil.  GIVE ME A BREAK!   
     

A Military Stalemate in Afghanistan

Some military analysts surveying the armed conflict primarily between the Taliban and the Kabul government have admitted a stalemate.  But to my mind, there is no other way to evaluate the years of war between the two sides as being nothing other than a continuance of war.

Part of the reason is that not all sides in the conflict are represented by the two warring parties.  Tribal groups or aggregates remain independent of these two factions.  Moreover, much agrarian land is used to grow the poppy seeds and plants used in the manufacture of opiates.  And, how about the Chinese mining of the mineral rights in the Afghanistan West?  Land so valuable to the drug trade can be openly traded by one or another claiming itself the legitimate government of the country. 

It is a true miracle that there's not greater loss of life in this country torn apart and dismembered into the several, local governing units. 

Immigration: A Human Condition

I think it would be remarkable if the boundaries of nations extant today remained in tact, changeless forever more!  People love to roam about, to pick up and go--wherever their inner spirit takes them!

It is natural to expect that those settled already in regions they have carved out for themselves would regard immigrants to their territory as intruders!  The latter are tolerated when they declare themselves as visitors for a particular time.  And, a country may  reach out and gather those in flight from elsewhere, as have the Germans extended a welcome to the displaced Syrians; and as the United States has granted asylum to multitudinous destitute groups and victims of physical and social calamities over many years.  Who can forget the potato famine in Europe that sent waves of migrants to American shores many years ago?

Now it is true that not all native populations are accepting of migrants who pass into their lands.  Each country proclaims its own quota system of those desirous to remain and settle down.  Nevertheless, migration continues today across territories; and when migrants are desperate enough, they will climb over walls and barriers that would keep them out.

All a country can reasonably demand on the stage of world opinion is that it not be overwhelmed by some current migration of people.  I am reminded how the Roman Empire endeavored to restrain German tribes to their north from invading but in the end succumbed to an ever-increasing overrun of these desperate people.

Moral of this item:  You can't restrict migrants from entry into lands you regard as (forever) yours!  Sooner or later, they'll ignore your border signs and demarcation lines.  Why?  Because they're as transit upon this earth as you are!  And everybody is moving about into "new" lands.  It's the nature of the homo sapiens!  

As the old time religion puts it, 'This world is not my home.  I'm only passing through!'           

Angela Merkell's Response to Trump's Call for NATO Members to pay up!

At a recent meeting of Germany's legislature, Angela Merkel reflected upon President Trump's insistence that the member nations of the military alliance NATO should update their financial commitments to its support.

It is certainly the case that any sovereign nation should have its own military units to defend itself  and protect its borders.  But it is also true that NATO, as a military alliance, is promoting peace in Europe.

Her discussion caused me to think the usefulness of a singular country's military when multi-nations are threatened.  We've gone far since World War II in our understanding of the usefulness and deployment of military alliances to counter the rise of despots, dictators, hostile groups and nations who would disturb the peace and tranquility of  what world order there is.

Now it is true that the United States has a mighty military whose tentacles of power reach far beyond US shores.  I, and others who argue that its influence has netted more peaceful conditions among the world's populations, note well that it is committed to works together in military alliances to end conflict and political strife wherever they occur.  The US military pursues peace through military intervention accompanied by political negotiations toward cessation of armed conflict.

   

P.M. T. May of the UK struggling with Parliament

It's problematic whether she'll survive in her present position of top leader.  I am amazed that the Conservative Party would be leading the drive toward independence from the EU.  For a conservative stance would be to remain within the established bounds of safety and less risk of the already accepted, which an independent Great Britain would seem to be breaking from.

I followed on C-SPAN her recent struggle to defend her version of an independent GB.  She was adamant that the people of her country have spoken; and she was simply carrying out their directive to show how the country could proceed on its own, but with ties of trade and business with the various EU member states.

This is a momentous venture in the history of the world, to be sure.  We know how union of disparate states can become One; but the course toward independence is most uncertain and its pathway precarious.  Usually, to separate from a national entity, a province or territory would be construed as forcing a revolution--a threat to the national government necessitating in military might have crush  for the preservation of its territorial integrity.  Appealing to the United Nations is not a viable option for a territorial region to defend its cause for freedom from a ruling government desirous to hold onto its entire territory.

The American Revolution is a reminder how difficult and bloody a break-away can be, even when there are enormous miles the new land was distant from its homeland (which nevertheless claimed it as its own).

Be it noted that Scotland has voiced in recent times its desire to secede from GB.  And, the region of Barcelona is struggling to break away from Spain. 

Yet, the human spirit longs to be itself formed into a lasting cultural heritage of a people.  It is that spirit which has led mankind to find an autonomous homeland where it can flourish through language and mannerisms peculiar to its region.  In this way, each member of the community can claim a personal identity and self-respect, contributing to the growth of its people in the territory it resides as independent.