I picked up a copy of Timothy Garton Ash’s (TGA) book before I went on holiday. My first job was spent working with many of the world’s leading academics in the field of politics and international relations, so I had a vague interest in the subject of international relations. I had previously read a few autobiographies written by journalists and enjoyed the lively and clear manner of their writing.
What struck me within the first few pages of reading TGA’s book was the hugely accessible style. TGA covers topics such as the deep and profound identity crisis faced by Britain in the last few decades, the approach to terrorism by the world’s governments, and the positive effects that free trade can have for the developing countries of the world.
The chapter on Britain’s relationship with the US and Europe forced me to re-examine many of the opinions I held as well as many of those that I had heard. Free trade had the most profound impact on my thinking. It occurs to me that a great deal of charitable work takes place in the UK – most clamouring for a regular, small donation to fund food aid, medicine and so on and so forth. What many members of the public are not very aware of is the notion of free trade. I think I can summarise it briefly – surely it’s better for a developing country to develop itself further by trade than it is by simply receiving handouts from others?
The amounts given by developed countries in foreign aid are sizeable in their own right, although the percentage of GDP is sometimes very questionable. However, what I found more alarming to read is the closed nature our trade markets have. I was amazed to see the now out of date policies of the European Common Agricultural Policy and the way Europe imposes harsh trade tariffs and conditions on developing nations. At a high level – not encouraging trade with developing nations seems tantamount to encouraging the aid packet mentality. Surely it would make sense to treat other nations as equals and not maintain policies that only seek to provide nothing more than a token effort to include them in globalised trade?
In light of the arguments outlined by TGA, I am happy to put my thoughts into action and give my 1% of net income towards making the world a better, and fairer place. My contribution will go towards encouraging free trade – what will yours be?
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