> high wages, intellectual pluralism or trade disputes aren't part of the bedrock of international norms. Well, the idea, particularly before 9/11, is that the

> high wages, intellectual pluralism or trade disputes aren't part of the bedrock of international norms. Well, the idea, particularly before 9/11, is that they could be. You'd have increased manufacturing in developing countries lifting up their peoples out of poverty. You'd have democratic republicanism in more places so that people would have a say in their government. Trade disputes would be handled by international bodies like the WTO. Otherwise, you have the norms being the opposite, and what we're regressing to. You have a powerful elite that wants to rent-seek off the rest of the population, install totalitarian regimes to secure their place at the top, and form international blocs that resolve resource and economic disputes in more belligerent ways to both secure and expand their area of totalitarian, rent-seeking control.