Protecting America!

El nuevo Congreso demócrata en Estados Unidos puede llegar a convertirse en una película de terror para el comercio global, de acuerdo con el entusiasmo proteccionista de algunos comentaristas.

En su artículo The Begining of the End for Corporate-Led Globalization?, publicado en The Nation, William Greider describe algunas propuestas que van del más puro mercantilismo a versiones de intercambio comercial premodernas:

Abre la nota frotándose las manos sobre las perspectivas actuales:

Thanks to the aggressive spirit of many newly elected Democrats, this Congress offers an encouraging opening for opponents of corporate-led globalization to go on offense.

Y encara decidido contra las sweatshops (fábricas en las que se explota a los empleados):

Sweatshop imports. The principle at stake is whether Congress has the power to regulate any products imported from foreign factories. Global advocates assume not, but Congress has already embraced the opposite precedent.

Le pega a las multinacionales norteamericanas que aprovechan la globalización, tildándolas de "free riders":

Free riders. As American companies move more and more of their manufacturing offshore, many take on the status of "free riders." They enjoy all the benefits of being "American" -- government services and subsidies, the protection of the US military -- while discarding reciprocal obligations to the country: jobs, economic investment and paying a fair share of the tax burden.

(...)

A "free rider" surcharge could be enacted on top of the corporate income tax, which would raise the tax liability for firms in proportion to how much their domestic production is declining because of offshoring. By itself, the special tax wouldn't reverse the dynamics driving the process, but it would change the incentives. The measure would inform corporate executives that the "free ride" is over and that "global companies" will begin paying a rising price for abandoning loyalty to the US economy.

Se queja por el déficit comercial de EEUU y acá es donde se pone definitivamente bizarro:

Dorgan's legislation is the economic equivalent of "going nuclear." It would rattle the global system profoundly, because the United States has long been the willing "buyer of last resort" for world production. By issuing a limited supply of import certificates to trading companies, the government would unilaterally restrict the amount of goods brought into the country. Gradually over five years, it could correct its huge trade imbalance.

... y un poco patotero:

Other trading nations might threaten retaliation, but that's not a game they can easily win since the US market remains the largest buyer for their goods.