The already rich countries keep enjoying expanding economies, and in the rest of the world millions of people overcome poverty every year, thanks to economic growth. Is there a force underlying this benign revolution that transcends national borders? Yes. That force is international economic integration - or globalization, if you wish.

If you consider recent regional wars, terrorism, the skyrocketing prices of oil and other commodities, and the laxity of the fiscal and monetary policies of some of other major economies, you may conclude that it’s only through the globalization of the market economy that we’ve been able to sail through such stormy waters.