Issues in the International Economics of Industrial Mobilization and Surge for Crisis in an Interdependent World

摘要

The purpose of this paper is to present aspects of international trade which are important for industrial mobilization in time of crisis, such as war, famine and natural disasters, in an interdependent world. We will first present an overview of the international trade of the United States in terms of overall imports and exports, imports and exports by major geographical regions, and trade balance of industries important to defense. We will then look at specific characteristics of the international arms trade including some major vulnerabilities and dependencies facing the US. We will analyze the relative importance of the USSR, the USA, the countries of Western Europe and the third world in the international arms trade. We will then introduce and explain some of the most important concepts of international trade and mobilization including: comparative advantage, absolute advantage,dynamic comparative advantage, strategic comparative advantage and dynamic strategic comparative advantage. While these concepts are being introduced examples of how they can be applied to explain the state of international trade and mobilization will be given. We will briefly describe military and mobilization strategies including the graduated mobilization response framework,conventional strategies, nuclear strategies and the interaction of conventional and nuclear strategies--and how these affect strategic value. All of this will then be put together to describe and analyze international trade as it affects mobilization and the valuation of internationally traded military goods and services directed toward the mobilization. The growing economic, military and diplomatic interdependences of nations will be stressed. 43 refs., 18 tabs. (ERA citation 14:023885)