The New Statesman’s Linsey Hilsum wrote a great piece on the changing of the guard among the world’s economic powers.  She writes from a British perspective, which seems to add a bit of poignancy to her comments.  Although her article doesn’t present much brand new material, she does a great job of putting things into a proper perspective.  I was particularly compelled by the use of her experience in the Dubai International Airport (DXB) as a foundation for the story.

While the whole piece is well worth reading, one bit particularly struck a nerve with me.  Being a somewhat rational engineer type, I rarely yell at the TV, since I do understand the difference between broadcast and bi-directional communications.  However, there is one fellow that I never fail to scream back at:

In the US, the anti-foreigner right has made common cause with labour unions to deny reality. The champion of this view is the CNN commentator Lou Dobbs, who sees American culture being swept away by a tide of immigration from the south while American jobs go to “communist China”, as he always call it. Economic studies show that service-sector jobs in Europe and the US have increased as manufacturing jobs have been lost, and that western companies and economies have benefited from outsourcing and globalisation. Europe and the US need immigrants to replace their ageing populations. That the US is no longer economically dominant does not mean it’s about to collapse - but fear rather than logic dominates the debate.

The truth is, I actually find myself watching CNN much less simply because they carry Mr. Dobbs’ bizarre ranting.  It’s too bad, because I sincerely appreciate Mr. Turner’s brilliant innovation in creating the network nearly 30 years ago.

Personal quirks aside, this shift is real, and we can either leverage it, or get buried by it.

Technorati Tags:  China, China Outsourcing