However, in many cases, Wal-Mart has moved into areas where the manufacturing jobs had already left and the small retailers were not making any money because of the local economy being crippled by the plant moving to China or Mexico.

You'll get no argument from me about the Chinese Communist Party being a brutal regime that promotes slave labor and steals peasants' property.  And any group that brags about being the "Heir to Mao" will win no brownie points from me.

But we're just as guilty on that issue, because we're the ones who have promoted trade without promoting worker rights, too.  As I said, we shouldn't trade with countries that force children to work and that don't enshrine, for example, the right to organize.  (I think "Mall-Wart" -- I love that, by the way; well said -- employees in China recently gained this right by lobbying the managers and the local party official(s), but I may be thinking of another company.  Correct me if I'm wrong.  If so, at least it's a start, but we need to back them up.  If Americans really want the world to love them, as they say they do, they'll start rebuilding their relations by pounding the table on human rights -- starting with China.)

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

To become rich nowadays means to embrace capitalism, and this means embracing notions of consumerism, possession, increased purchasing power, and in particular this means obtaining the possibility to purchase exotic/luxury items. And since one man's local product is another man's exotic/luxurious product, rich Bengladeshis buy vintage Indian cars, rich Indians buy Ferraris, rich Italians buy Rolls Royces ...

So either we stop wanting the third world to emulate our path (so that they can save their culture), or we choose another path, for example the one of degrowth, which I somewhat affect.

God what am I saying? Ok, this was just typed as I thought it.