The Pew Foundation has a research center that is one of the most reputable polling agencies in the world It has just released a study of American attitudes toward US engagement with the rest of the world. The evidence suggests that most Americans believe that American global power is declining and a large number of Americans believe that the country should “mind its own business” internationally. The findings are not surprising, but the rate of decline for US engagement abroad is quite sharp.
The World Trade Organization is soon to meet in Indonesia to try to resuscitate trade negotiations that have been stalled for many years. There is, however, a new issue is emerging that has been more or less a “stealth” issue for a few years: whether fresh water can be considered a private commodity that can be traded like any other commodity, like petroleum. Traditionally, fresh water has been considered a public good to be distributed along lines that serve the public interest. But the fear of increasing scarcity of fresh water, much of which is associated with the fears of climate change, has led many to think that selling fresh water may be necessary to conserve the resource. Unfortunately, that line of thinking also leads to the possibility that water may only be available to people with access to money.
World Politics News 
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