I took a class in college about the "politics of place," and we analyzed the myriad ways that places become defined and imbued with meaning. One interesting element of our discussions was how globalization and the growth of multinational corporations altered the landscape of how national sovereignty and global capitalism interact. As the global economy has become more interconnected and complex, it creates more situations in which the imperatives of the economy and the imperatives of security do not align.
This article demonstrates an interesting example of this with the case of the Chinese technology company Huawei. On one hand, Huawei manufactures quality products at a low cost, enabling companies that rely on their technology to be more efficient and profitable. On the other hand, concerns about the relationship between Huawei and the Chinese government has raised concern about installing the company's products for important infrastructure.
Thank you to my friend Ross who shared this article with me and whose company helped provide some information to the Economist for this piece.
"The company that spooked the world"
Published in The Economist, August 4, 2012
http://www.economist.com/node/21559929
Eric
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