America and the 21st Century Global Economy

As an international business, we have witnessed, first hand over the past 25 years, profound changes in virtually every so-called “business model” while American companies and the nation’s economy undergo cataclysmic adjustments. The global economy has truly evolved as an entirely interconnected force, not dominated any longer by one nation’s agenda. Increasing numbers of investors are sending funding to other countries. Meanwhile, economic development had also brought hundreds of millions of people out of unbearable poverty and newfound middleclass prosperity. Everything that an American saw as concrete and predictable, secure and prosperous, has been turned upside down.

With the advances of these financial bridging connections, we have also seen a tightening and tensions related to this interconnectedness as well. Unlike the U.S.-dominated 1950s and 1960s, the last couple of decades not only have seen Japan fluctuate in predominant economic concerns, but further advancement from the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and of course China) – to the point where they are no longer simply curious non-European tourist destinations – but rapidly advancing economies that influence daily international business and political decisions.

We examine the world as it was in the early years after World War II, especially the phases of development of what is now called the global economy and the diminishing relative importance of the American economy as the preeminent policy maker. We study each of the major world regions, then educate the participant as to the main economic issues that we face in today’s 21st century environment. As might be anticipated, the lectures will involve the entire planet, however much more emphasis will be given to such phenomenon as the Asian “Tiger Economies,” China’s profound rise, and the lingering uncertainties surrounding Russian and Middle Eastern influences.

Our lecture travels take us into 1990s European economic and currency integration, their growth periods that were parallel to the United States some 40-50 years ago, and the attempts of Eastern Europe to embrace capitalism, after Communism. Then compare and contrast China’s so-called Communist Party model, which in both theory and practical business applications, is at best socialism with a substantial flair for everything capitalist. Major economic disruptions and events that have shaped our world over the past half-century will be highlighted and studied at length.

Finally we look at how globalization might proceed in the future. Due to the fact that the U.S. economy remains by far the largest in the world, it is arguably viewed as the true legitimate (albeit currently troubled) face of genuine economic globalization, fair trading practices, and rule of law. Still each part of the world sees globalization through a slightly different prism. The disruptions to political intrigue, foreign policy adjustments, citizens’ lifestyles and personal needs, educational systems, health care, the environment, and democratic interpretations of self-governance each have strong consequences depending upon who is subject to all of the changes brought on by the heralded new world order, economically at least.