NYT
May 2, 2008

Op-Ed Columnist
The Cognitive Age
By DAVID BROOKS

If you go into a good library, you will find thousands of books on
globalization. Some will laud it. Some will warn about its dangers.
But they’ll agree that globalization is the chief process driving our
age. Our lives are being transformed by the increasing movement of
goods, people and capital across borders.

The globalization paradigm has led, in the political arena, to a
certain historical narrative: There were once nation-states like the
U.S. and the European powers, whose economies could be secured within
borders. But now capital flows freely. Technology has leveled the
playing field. Competition is global and fierce.

New dynamos like India and China threaten American dominance thanks to
their cheap labor and manipulated currencies. Now, everything is made
abroad. American manufacturing is in decline. The rest of the economy
is threatened.