Blog 1 (Raheem)

The most important issue is the paramount concern of the current world order; the supremacy of the modern economy and the preeminence of the United States in shaping it.

The global order is defined by the wealth of nations. The United States possessing the largest economy in the world is invariably the most powerful and most important country in the world. The wealth of the United States enables the projection of power and influence around the world. The importance of the United States and its economic stature is underscored by countries around the world attempting to establish a favorable relationship with the US or risking isolation and sanctions (North Korea, Iran, and Cuba). The following is a brief example on the power of money and the effect on the formulation of bilateral policies.
Despite Hugo Chavez’s anti-American rhetoric Venezuela continues to maintain a significant economic relationship with the United States. This relationship consists mainly of oil exports to the United States making Venezuela the 4th largest exporter of oil to the United States. Thus, oil and the profits for Venezuela make Chavez’s anti-Americanism extend only to rhetoric and prevents the US from taking any serious action against the country.

With few exceptions every country in the world is concerned with acquiring and managing wealth. So even if pressing problems such as genocide and tyranny exist, the pursuit of wealth is the primary preoccupation of global leaders.