I’ve been working on a longer post about the upcoming Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations between the United States and the European Union, but recent allegations that US intelligence services have been bugging diplomatic missions of several of our European allies are threatening to put the entire project on ice. Der Spiegel, which broke the story this weekend, is now reporting that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is "furious" and other officials are calling the monitoring "unacceptable" and "abhorrent". European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Viviane Reding stated that "We cannot negotiate over a big trans-Atlantic market if there is the slightest doubt that our partners are carrying out spying activities on the offices of our negotiators.", Der Speigel further reported.
So far the Obama administration has not had much to say in response. Initial statements from the President and Secretary of State John Kerry amount to "what’s the big deal, everybody does it" — a stance unlikely to reassure the Europeans.
I want to begin writing here on "microglobalization", by which I mean the developments in technology and international trade that have put "global" opportunities within reach of independent businesses and even individuals. Once largely the province of well-heeled multinational/transnational corporations, global trade in goods and services increasingly presents compelling opportunities for smaller companies willing to take the plunge. I’m firmly convinced that even the tiniest firm has the ability to carve out a niche in worldwide business ecosystems, consciously and deliberately managing every aspect of its development within a global context. (I recently registered the domain name microglobalization.com, though I’m not yet sure exactly what I’ll do with it.)