News Release

August 20, 2003

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Forget the Mapmakers' Boundaries
A Young Swede Finds a World of Good in Globalization

In his latest book In Defense of Global Capitalism, Johan Norberg shows clearly and concisely how capitalism promotes the rapid spread of economic opportunities and personal freedom.

Once a self-proclaimed anarchist and now a passionate crusader for globalization, the author presents compelling evidence that because of eased trade restrictions, dramatic transformations are already under way in scores of nations. And he demolishes the claims of the anti-globalization movement. Today's radical protestors, Norberg writes, "profess to stand for exciting new ideas, but [their] arguments actually represent the same old opposition to free markets and free trade." Backed by an abundance of solid facts, statistics, and flesh-and-blood examples drawn from his travels in Asia and Africa, Norberg asserts that the diffusion of capitalism in recent decades has created opportunities everywhere. Along the way, living standards and life expectancy have risen substantially.

Throughout In Defense of Global Capitalism, Norberg underscores the rewards that come with barrier-free borders. These rewards can include simply being to able to work or shop or seek cultural amenities wherever one wants. "Our ability to control our own lives is growing," he writes, "and prosperity is growing with it."