Europe as the center of the go-slow ideology
Thursday, July 29, 2004 at 11:22AM ìLove of Leisure, and Europeís Reasons,î by Katrin Bennhold, New York Times, 29 July, p. A8.
Europe emerges more and more as the go-slow center of the Core. If the U.S. tends to be all go-go on globalization, whereas many in the New Core can't seem to go fast enough in terms of integration, then it's Europe's growing role to be the Core pillar that emphasizes the opportunity costs in progress. They may be "poorer" in terms of goods acquired, but they seem to be trading that in for more leisure in their lifestylesóa very different social-economic rule set from either the U.S. or the workaholic Japanese.
The moderate resistance to globalization doesn't say "keep it out" like radical Islam, but simply advocates a go-slower approach. Over time, this is the great alternative political ideology that attracts many adherents throughout the Core. A cruder version of this is seen in the growing New Core focus on remembering the rural poor and making sure they get pulled up in the globalization process as well as the urban elites. Inside the U.S., it would appear to be the Democrats who will emerge more as the go-slower party and the Republicans as the go-go-globalization party, since the isolationist wing of the GOP is far less powerful (for now) than the anti-globalization ranks of the far left.
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