Introduction

This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part explores the change in the locus and fundamental meaning of economic power. It describes the transnational corporation not so much as an economic institution, but as a means of pursuing US economic objectives through direct investment, which has shifted from extractive industries to manufacturing. The part discusses questions as to whether American corporate expansionism is in the larger interest of the United States; in particular, whether, as US influence declines and as foreign governments force American corporations to serve their interests, Americans will find that corporate and national interests coincide. Perhaps the true meaning of the New International Economic Order is its genuine global implications, and a recognition that value judgments have a place in decision making alongside economic and financial power.