International Competition

International Competition refers to the international competition for markets, technology, and jobs created when economic globalization merges national markets into a single unregulated global market.As presented to the public, international competition unleashes the ability of market forces to drive efficiency and innovation to the benefit of all. Every nation, community, and worker is admonished to make themselves more internationally “competitive” by acquiring the skills the market demands, increasingly productivity, and offering business friendly policies.

The public is not told that this pits every nation, community, and person in a race to the bottom competition for jobs and the favor of global corporations that increases corporate profits at the expense of broader social and environmental well-being.

Positive competition is the Earth Community competition for excellence that raises the standard for everyone and thereby benefits the whole. Negative competition is the imperial competition for dominance that divides the world into winners and losers. Far from eliminating poverty and increasing the well-being of all, the competition for dominance consigns the majority of people to conditions of desperation, increases violence, accelerates environmental destruction, and undermines security and democracy.