Free trade

NYT:

Thanks to an unorthodox labor program backed by the United States and intended to improve working conditions, much of Cambodia's garment industry has been holding its own since the end of the global quota system that parceled out shares of the apparel and textile business country by country. A majority of Cambodia's factories have retained the loyalty of major retailers around the world by appealing not just to their need for low-cost production but also to their desire to avoid the stigma of exploiting poor laborers in distant sweatshops.

For 30 years the global quotas - which were abolished on Jan. 1 - did not just slow the loss of clothing jobs in advanced industrial nations; they also helped some destitute countries by giving them guaranteed entry into the $400 billion global trade in apparel and textiles. ...

A veteran of Cambodia's young labor movement, Ms. Neb represents a modern alternative. She has worked in the garment industry since the first factories opened in 1998 and now earns $90 a month in a country where $45 is considered a living wage.

She and her sister own their own wooden house on stilts, complete with a small garden. She rides to work on her motorbike and indulges in little luxuries like diamond stud earrings. "It is rare for two women to own their own home in Cambodia," she said, sitting on her front porch after a day at the factory. "But I want more. I want to own my own business and move back to the countryside."

So, free trade leads to competition, higher wages and an increased standard of living for foreign workers, and an entreprenurial spirit. Wow. Who knew? Oh yeah, FREAKING EVERYBODY. Shut up, Chris Martin.