THE CHALLENGE FROM THE EAST AND THE REBIRTH OF THE WEST

A concerned conservative's astute appreciation of the possible consequences of a continuing shift in the balance of economic power from Occident to Orient. A Tory member of Great Britain's Parliament, Spicer argues that the West's waning commitment to the principles and practice of free trade is undermining geopolitical stability at a time when Asian nations (China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, et al.) have made themselves forces to be reckoned with in the global marketplace. In particular, the author fears that the increasingly exclusionary policies of the European Union, its interventionist agenda (which suborns sovereignty), and growing anti-Americanism could not only put paid to a genuinely free market on the Continent but also provoke development of rival blocs. He goes on to warn that the formation of NAFTA and the probability of its expansion throughout the American hemisphere poses protectionist risks while promising commercial rewards. Reminding First World political leaders that transnational business activity effectively stifles strife and that the showcase for free trade, the Pacific Basin, is there for all to see, Spicer nonetheless concludes that the cause of laissez-faire has not yet been lost. If the Global Village is to avoid mercantile conflicts and perhaps worse, the MP suggests the West will have to recover its collective will, pay more than lip service to fair and free trade, and accept that Asia's nascent forms of democracy differ greatly from their European or North American models. Over time, he proposes considering new modes of association, albeit along confederal lines rather than the centralized institutions that have led EU countries up a blind alley. A Euroskeptic's bleak reckoning of protectionism's appallingly high price.