International Trade Debate - Essay Example

1. While lower-end production jobs have been lost to 3rd world countries, increased use of automation and component-based manufacturing have resulted in an increase of high-paying manufacturing jobs in the US. 2. As a result of the above, more and more Americans are getting themselves re-skilled and preparing for better-paying jobs. 3. Decrease in low-paying production jobs has been followed by an increase in high-paying services-based jobs, thereby opening up newer job options not available before. 4. This increases the employability of Americans, opening up opportunities not just within the US, but overseas too.

More Native Americans have migrated out of the US in the past 20 years than ever before in history. Lower production and safety standards in this countries:1. This phenomenon is more of an exception than the norm and is restricted to certain countries and some industries only. 2. This can be dealt with with stricter quality standards enforced through tighter agreements, which has not been done before. 3. While low-cost goods may have taken away some manufacturing jobs, they have helped reduce the cost of living for many Americans, while maintaining the standard of living. 4. As a result, Americans are more able to afford higher education and pursue more lucrative job options.

Increased dependence on other economies compromises American sovereignty:1. What is called outsourcing and off-shoring is nothing but one way of implementing a balance of trade. The US has more bargaining ability than any other country in the global economy, and any loss of jobs outside of the US would have been offset by a host of other commercial and economic benefits, which are not always visible. 2. Migrants bring high-end skills and specialization to the American economy thereby helping it to maintain its sovereign status.

A typical example is the Information Technology industry which employs thousands of migrants, but the largest consumer of which is an American industry, which has moved up the value chain, through more automation. 3. Stronger 3rd world economies imply more opportunities and investment options for Americans, which helps improve America's GDP. 4. Stronger 3rd world economies directly result in lesser migration of low-skilled workers from other countries, and hence less crime, lower unemployment rates, and less Government spending on social security.

In the long run, Globalization and International Trade benefit all nations worldwide and helps their populace cope with a more 'knowledge-driven society that will be a norm in the decades ahead. Xenophobic attitudes will only push countries into isolation while their people will slow atrophy into a less skilled, less intelligent, and less-resilient race.