It’s almost a decade after the Berlin Wall has fallen, and Russia is coming to grips with the introduction American “culture” in their country. As President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev was responsible for the dissolution of the USSR. The resulting economic transition was confusing for many, as the advertisement shows disagreement among family members about the state of Russia in the years following the end of Soviet rule.
CNBC — USMCA Overview
CNBC Power Lunch provides an overview of the major differences between NAFTA and the USMCA agreement, particular when it comes to automobiles, access to Canadian dairy markets, and changes in product markets from technological advances.
Vox — China’s Panda Diplomacy
One of the coolest examples of international trade is China’s use of pandas as a tool for encouraging international trade. While the pandas (and their eventual cubs) may come with a hefty fee, the majority of these pandas accompany major international trade deals that countries sign with China. This quick explainer video outlines the way China uses pandas to their advantage.
Milton Friedman — Free Trade and the Steel Industry
Dr. Friedman discusses the benefits of free trade and the inconsistencies of placing tariffs and quotas on the steel industry in order to increase domestic production. He notes (around the 2:00 minute mark) that allowing for free trade would reduce employment in one sector of the economy, but it would increase employment in other sectors.
Thanks to Jacob Clifford for the suggestion!
Jimmy Kimmel Live — 2nd Grader Explains Trade Deficits
With the recent stretch of tariffs being imposed on other countries (and other countries on us), Jimmy Kimmel uses some of his showtime to interview 2nd graders about the trade deficits. The basis of the segment comes from Trump’s misguided tweet regarding trade deficits and why a trade war won’t hurt the US:
Shiloh, our 2nd grader, explains the pros and cons of international trade, including the potential for lost jobs in the US and unsafe working conditions abroad. She also highlights the pros of trade by noting countries are able to buy more things, create jobs in exporting industries, and bring countries together.
Thanks to Abdullah Al-Bahrani for the post!
Monty Python — Cheese Shop Sketch
One of the many benefits of international trade is increased product variety because countries can devote resources to the goods they have a comparative advantage in. Monty Python demonstrates what a world without trade would look like. After going through a list of a variety of different types of cheese (even cheddar!), but nothing is available. The finest cheese shop is at least clean!
Thanks to Rob Szarka for the clip suggestion on his Twitter account!
McDonald’s — Weak Dollar
In this commercial, office workers are lamenting the apparent weakness of the dollar relative to other currencies. Another worker comes by with a hamburger from McDonald’s $1 menu and the office changes their tunes when they realize that a dollar can buy a whole hamburger.
BBC — 200 Countries, 200 years, 4 minutes
What does the world look like (wealth and health) over the past 200 years, but squeezed into 4 minutes. Hans Rosling looks at the change in a income and life expectancy for countries across the world over the past 200 years. What’s nice about this visualization is that it’s color coded to be able to show how different regions changed over time. We can also see how globalization has affected major countries like China, Japan, and India.
TED — How Containerization Shaped the Modern World
Sir Harold Evans, the author of They Made America, describes how the shipping container revolutions international trade and made it easier to ship products around the world. This TED Talk could be used when discussing comparative advantage and trade or even when thinking about factors that have led to the growth of countries.
Marketplace — A Brief History of NAFTA
A Marketplace background on NAFTA, including clips from Ronald Regan and the ’92 Presidential Debate.