Welcome to Maine: Open for International Business

The nature of this blog is to build awareness about the interconnectivity and interdependence that has emerged, in this era of globalization, between local economies and the global market system.  I am a strong believer that local economies like Maine’s will increasingly become more intertwined with the global market system, and less dependent on the […]

China: This is not your Century

Late in February I was fortunate to attend the Camden Conference together with more than sixty students from the University of Maine system.  This year’s theme, “Is this China’s Century?” presented many favorable views that supported the thesis that China was going to surpass the United States economically and therefore become the next superpower of […]

I am a Product of Globalization

Before the internationalists, protectionists, and nationalists coined the word “globalization,” Americans like my father were carving out the path for the integration of international markets and the expansion of consumer cultures across the world.  I research and write about the dynamics of globalization and the links between the local and the global because, subconsciously, I […]

Post-NAFTA, Bush, and Other Stuff

Last week’s events have shed light on several issues, including the dynamics of U.S.-Canadian relations, global international trade, and the American presidency.  The past and the present continue to communicate with each other as media and other propaganda systems try to force us to focus on their current debates.  They impose the agenda as historic […]

Tariffs and their Impact on Maine’s Lobster Industry

This blog post was co-written with James A. Huff, an undergraduate student in the Maine Business School’s Management Program.  It resulted from one of the assignments we worked on during our Global Business course, BUA 343, this semester. Protective tariffs have an effect on Maine’s lobster industry.  The squabble between China and the United States […]

From Saint Petersburg to Maine (part 2)

The airplane was not the most modern, actually it still had ashtrays in the arm rest, bathrooms, and corridors.  The last time I was in one of these planes I was going from Quito to Guayaquil, and that time I remember being scared.  We felt safe in this old plane; “at least the Russians had […]

From Saint Petersburg to Maine

I was sleep deprived during the month of June not only because of the “white nights” of Saint Petersburg and the abundant quantities of Russian vodka, but also because of the constant partying at the FIFA Fan Fest and the non stop watching and commenting on sixty-four soccer matches or should I say football matches. […]

Canada’s one-two punch

We tend to forget that until just a few years ago when the United States became the biggest producer of oil and natural gas, the Canadian market was our biggest supplier; not to mention the fact that they supply part of the American East Coast corridor and other parts of the borderland region with electricity. […]