ABSTRACT
When we think of intense competition between the leading economies over the production of commodities utilizing cutting edge technology, the control of export markets, the activities of transnational firms, and investment/loan ventures, the first mental reference point is likely to be focused on current events. We might easily summon up images of competition among the United States, western Europe, either as an integrated ensemble of economies or in the German manifestation, and Japan. Both Germany and Japan have had different types of economic problems in the 1990s and an integrated Europe is not yet a reality. Thus, this image may not seem all that sharp at the moment but it still remains a very likely scenario over the next few decades.
