ABSTRACT
Well-established conventions make it unlawful to bribe the purchasing officials of domestic companies and the procurement officers of state agencies in one's own country. It is not illegal to bribe foreigners in foreign lands. Executives have been sent to prison for organising them. Cartels are wicked – unless they have been created to help in the export crusade, in which case the state affixes an official stamp allowing companies to be nasty to foreigners. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, established in 1972, supervises the enforcement of various safety standards. Companies were explicitly exempted from the product safety legislation in relation to that part of their output which is produced exclusively for foreign markets. Thus dual norms exist and the safety regulations are confined to US consumers. A few voices were raised to plead that non-US consumers were also human beings be protected from hazardous merchandise but the line of thinking seemed to carry little weight.
