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Memorandum
To:
President William Jefferson Clinton
From:
Walter Russell Mead
Date:
February 22, 2000
Subject:
The Big Issues
I. Introduction
The biggest issue facing the nation today is the continuing erosion of popular support for global
and regional economic integration. After the longest economic expansion in American history,
powered in large part by surges in exports, globalization is less popular than it was in 1992. The
greatest service the President can do the nation and the world this year is to build a new
consensus for global and regional economic integration.
The real goal of international economic integration is something that most Americans
instinctively support: making it possible for hundreds of millions of poor people all over the
world to join the global middle class. Middle class societies are more stable and democratic;
they are also better customers for American goods and services.
This is good morals, good foreign policy, good economics, and good for the American people.
Yet this is not what most Americans think globalization is all about. The current conventional
picture sees globalization basically as a way to facilitate relocation of factories to low wage, low
regulation emerging economies. Corporations get rich; workers get the shaft; the environment
gets raped.
This is the Seattle viewpoint and it is a caricature of what is actually happening - but a
combination of bad public relations and incomplete policy development lends plausibility to the
picture painted by the critics.
The President needs to put the globalization debate back on the higher ground. He should answer
the critics at Seattle and elsewhere, not with a defensive rationalization, but with a clear, coherent
and positive policy that addresses the critics' key concerns without giving ground on either free
trade or the importance of financial reform.
The American people could support an international economic agenda that aimed to reduce
export dependency in developing economies while increasing opportunities, raising living
standards, rewarding work and supporting families and communities here and abroad. Our trade
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"ocrText": "Memorandum\nTo:\nPresident William Jefferson Clinton\nFrom:\nWalter Russell Mead\nDate:\nFebruary 22, 2000\nSubject:\nThe Big Issues\nI. Introduction\nThe biggest issue facing the nation today is the continuing erosion of popular support for global\nand regional economic integration. After the longest economic expansion in American history,\npowered in large part by surges in exports, globalization is less popular than it was in 1992. The\ngreatest service the President can do the nation and the world this year is to build a new\nconsensus for global and regional economic integration.\nThe real goal of international economic integration is something that most Americans\ninstinctively support: making it possible for hundreds of millions of poor people all over the\nworld to join the global middle class. Middle class societies are more stable and democratic;\nthey are also better customers for American goods and services.\nThis is good morals, good foreign policy, good economics, and good for the American people.\nYet this is not what most Americans think globalization is all about. The current conventional\npicture sees globalization basically as a way to facilitate relocation of factories to low wage, low\nregulation emerging economies. Corporations get rich; workers get the shaft; the environment\ngets raped.\nThis is the Seattle viewpoint and it is a caricature of what is actually happening - but a\ncombination of bad public relations and incomplete policy development lends plausibility to the\npicture painted by the critics.\nThe President needs to put the globalization debate back on the higher ground. He should answer\nthe critics at Seattle and elsewhere, not with a defensive rationalization, but with a clear, coherent\nand positive policy that addresses the critics' key concerns without giving ground on either free\ntrade or the importance of financial reform.\nThe American people could support an international economic agenda that aimed to reduce\nexport dependency in developing economies while increasing opportunities, raising living\nstandards, rewarding work and supporting families and communities here and abroad. Our trade"
}