ABSTRACT
Integral to the process of globalization is an increase in the intensity of competition in the international marketplace. As new commercial freedoms emerge, firms respond with a variety of strategies to enter markets from which they were previously excluded and choose among states in search of the optimum business environment. The role of competition policy is to ensure these strategies do not undermine competitive forces. In the absence of a broadly agreed framework to manage competition on a global level, the forces of global competition are managed by a plethora of national and supranational policies. This patchwork of policies is ultimately self-serving
and can be used as leverage in international trade relations.
