Ralph E. Gomory

Dr. Gomory published a book a few years ago, Global Trade and Conflicting National Interests. He presents there the uncomfortable economic model that points out to an apparent fundamental contradiction between free trade and the national interests of the countries involved. Recently William Greider wrote in The Nation a thoughtful article on Gomory's ideas.

What concerns me here is the unexpected development predicted by the model that the national interests of countries may contradict the interests of companies practicing free trade around the World. This is not consistent with the dogma of free trade that affirms that all parties benefit from free trade. If Dr. Gomory is right, as time passes, we will see new versions of the treaties that have been signed for the past tens of years. Maybe we will see something that could be described as a new protectionism.

There is a "divergence of interests" between the companies and the countries. To me it sounds like either political forces, different than capitalist enterprises, take over governments, or the transnational companies will. We may have a future of sovereign companies as opposed to sovereign nations.