What can the status of the American automobile industry tell us about the status of economic security around the world?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The U.S. automobile industry has changed significantly since the mid-twentieth century. Today, most “American” cars are assembled in foreign countries: Fords are made in Mexico and Europe, and GM products are made in Canada and China. Likewise, many “foreign” cars are made in the United States: about 3 of every 4 Japanese autos sold in the United States, are made in the United States; BMWs, Kias, and Mercedes and others are made in U.S. factories as well. This example shows that the pursuit of economic security has been transformed from the dominant mercantilist practices of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to those conditioned by interdependence, globalization, and the deepening network of international institutions affecting economic activities and interactions.