PART III

Trading Partners

CHAPTER 10

The Americas and the Caribbean Basin

THE US AND WARS List of wars involving the United States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_invol

ving_the_United_States

America’s wars: U.S. Casualities and Veterans

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004615.html

3

THE US DEFENSE BUDGET Too much on defense budget?

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/ameri

can_prosperity_consensus/2013/10/american_

prosperity_consensus_is_excessive_defense_spe

nding_the_most_important.html

Safely cut our defense budget?

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economi

c-intelligence/2012/06/21/how-to-safely-cut-us-

defense-spending4

WHY DO WE GO TO WAR?

World Peace

Intervention in a conflict

Should we continue to be involved?

5

ARMS INDUSTRY & WAR BUSINESS

Worlds’ largest defense budget – do you think

we really need to put this money into defense

budget?

6

ARM EXPORTERS & IMPORTERS

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OBJECTIVES

Examine the evolution of economic and political organization in the Americas

Examine the roles of producing and consuming countries, areas of expertise, and specialization

Explore industrial development and trade regulations in the different sectors

Discuss major participating countries in the textile and apparel business

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INTRODUCTION

North, Central, and South America span the globe vertically, from north to south

The technology for spinning and weaving machines developed in Europe migrated to

the early colonies through industrial espionage

The influences of European, Asian and African cultures are reflected in different

sectors throughout the Americas and in the textiles and apparel found here

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POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

10

The terms America and

the Americas, as used in

this text, refer to the

combination of North,

Middle, and South

America

Western Hemisphere =

North America, Central

America, West Indies, and

South America

EFFORTS TO UNIFY THE AMERICAS

Pan-American Union created in 1910 with the purpose of closer economic, cultural, and political relations

Forty years later, the ninth Pan-American Conference created the Organization of American States (OAS)

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EFFORTS TO UNIFY THE AMERICAS

A Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) was

the most comprehensive free trade agreement

ever proposed for this region

North Americans see FTAA as an extension of

NAFTA, and South Americans see FTAA as an

extension of Mercosur (Southern South American

Common Market)

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CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE AMERICAS

The OAS has four official languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French

Roots of ideas, customs, and skills are based in sources of these languages

Cultural values cannot be judged as right or wrong, only as different

North America is often described as progressive while Latin America is seen as traditional

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ECONOMIC AND

INDUSTRIAL

STANDING OF

SELECTED

AMERICAN

COUNTRIES

Canada has largest geographic size; the United States has the largest population

Economic and industrial dominance of the United States carries both an advantage and a responsibility

Only the U.S. and Canada are considered developed countries; most countries in region are considered developing countries

Inflation rates range from -0.7 percent, in United States, to 8.6 percent, in Jamaica

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TRENDS IN TEXTILE AND APPAREL TRADE IN

THE AMERICAS

Dominance of the United States, Canada, and Mexico in the textile and apparel trade in the Americas

Many U.S. apparel brands sold around the world; few garments actually produced in the United States

The force of China is likely to have decreased Caribbean Basin apparel exports since 2008

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