Trafficking - The New Global Slave Trade

Foreign Affairs, November/December 2006

Article preview: first 500 of 4,339 words total.

Summary: Most people think of slavery as a purely historical
phenomenon. In fact, the practice thrives around the world today.
The same factors that contribute to economic globalization have
given rise to a booming international traffic in human beings,
often with the connivance of national governments. Fighting this
scourge successfully will take more than another UN treaty:
Western nations must use their military might.

BACK WITH A VENGEANCE
When most people think about slavery -- if they think about it at
all -- they probably assume that it was eliminated during the
nineteenth century. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth.
Slavery and the global slave trade continue to thrive to this day;
in fact, it is likely that more people are being trafficked across
borders against their will now than at any point in the past.

This human stain is not just a minor blot on the rich tapestry of
international commerce. It is a product of the same political,
technological, and economic forces that have fueled globalization.
Just as the brutal facts of the Atlantic slave trade ultimately
led to a reexamination of U.S. history -- U.S. historiography
until the 1960s had been largely celebratory -- so must growing
awareness of the modern slave trade spark a recognition of the
flaws in our contemporary economic and governmental arrangements.
The current system offers too many incentives to criminals and
outlaw states to market humans and promises too little in the way
of sanctions.

Contemporary slavery typically involves women and children being
forced into servitude through violence and deprivation.
Disturbingly, the advanced industrial states have failed to to
take much action to address the issue. The problem is one of
political will, not capability, for the rich countries of the
world have at their disposal numerous instruments that, if their
leaders had the courage to use them, could greatly curtail the
global slave trade. Just as the British government (after much
prodding by its subjects) once used the Royal Navy to stamp out
the problem, today's great powers must bring their economic and
military might to bear on this most crucial of undertakings.

After all, ending slavery is not simply a moral crusade, as
compelling as the moral case may be. There are also important self-
interested reasons why the West should lead a charge to eliminate
this practice. The fact of the matter is that the same people who
engage in human trafficking also contribute to the deepening
criminalization of the world economy overall, often operating in
close association with corrupt officials around the world. By
allowing slavery to go unpunished, states unwittingly erode the
foundations of the international economic system, which requires
that governments be capable of enforcing bilateral and
multilateral agreements and the rule of law.

Tragically, although the strongest states have the greatest
capacity to suppress the slave trade, they have not done so, and
key opportunities for action have been lost. The European Union
(EU), for example, should have used accession talks with potential
new members to pressure them into limiting the trafficking of
their female citizens to the West. Meanwhile, President George W.
Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice may have made some
bold pronouncements about eliminating slavery, but the U.S.
administration is so focused on the war on terror that Bush and
Rice rarely press matters such as slavery at meetings with
relevant governments.

Such a shortsighted approach is dangerous not just for ...

End of preview: first 500 of 4,339 words total.