August
2006
Welcome to MisterTrade.com
I am hooked on globalization, international trade, multinationals and the way new communication forms like this one can tie it all together.
I believe in their power to improve the lives of people all over the globe. Not a perfect system, not always, not ever, but nothing else is really in second place.
I believe I need to hear from you — your thoughts, where you agree and disagree, what insights you can add.
My name is Ken Roberts, the president and CEO of a Miami-based media company called WorldCity Inc. I founded it in the 20th Century. OK, 1998.
To give you a sense of the changes wrought in the last handful of years, when we first printed our business cards, people were still reluctant to include their email addresses on them. That’s how far we have come and how fast. It is safe to say the word blog was not part of the lexicon.
We started as a newspaper. Now we call ourselves a media company. We publish what has evolved into a magazine for the Miami area, host a couple of dozen monthly events per year, produce a couple of annual import-export publications, and compile a multinational directory.In addition, we are producing TradeNumbers publications in and Web content for Houston, New York, Los Angeles, Boston and for Georgia (Atlanta and Savannah).
In Atlanta and Houston, we have already hosted events to launch the publications; New York’s event is Oct. 19, Los Angeles is in November. We are also doing a November event in Atlanta for the launch of our fourth annual TradeAmericas publication, which looks at U.S. trade within the hemisphere. And now I am behind a blog.I plan to write about things related to international trade, to offer my thoughts on global and globalization issues, and to post interesting links to articles available on the web the world over.
Five quick opinions to give you a sense of where we stand:
1. Dubai Ports World. Traditional U.S. media, particularly U.S. television media, and U.S. politicians on both sides of the aisle showed an alarming lack of understanding of international trade and a glaring anti-Arab sentiment. The United States’ fastest-growing trade surplus last year was with the United Arab Emirates, home to Dubai. The reason? the number of U.S. made Boeing jets being sent there. It is a remarkably moderate and pro-globalization country. And it wasn’t “taking over our ports,” merely taking over the operations of terminals at those ports from another “foreign” company, P&O Ports. Finally, terminal operators are not responsible for security.
2. Free Trade Area of the Americas. The FTAA would come to fruition in a snap if the United States quit protecting sugar and citrus against competition from Brazil. the only nation needed to get FTAA to fruition.
3. Speaking generally and not specifically, ditto for the World Trade Organization. The Europeans are perhaps the bigger villains but the United States can and should lead the way. Quit protecting agriculture.
4. International trade is good because it lowers prices and offers consumers greater choice, because it is a net creator of jobs, and because it is ultimately good for global stability.
5. The countries, companies and people that will lead the way in the rest of the 21st Century will do so not by protecting their past but by forging into the future. That means biotechnology, alternative energies, pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology. And blogging! Your turn. What’s burning you up? What are some great articles you might have read? What are we failing to see when it comes to international issues?
Ken, aka Mister Trade