THERE IS GROWING CONCERN in the United States that the economic
policies of other countriesa re hurtingt he internationacl ompetitiveness
of U.S. industry. This concern goes beyond the usual complaints about
foreign competition and trade practices. The magnitude of the harm that
foreign economic policies are asserted to be inflicting on the United
States and the breadth of support for these assertions are new features
of American political discourse. The view that the United States has
been massively victimized by the unfair practices of foreign governments
has become virtual orthodoxy among many business and labor groups
and may well be a central theme of the 1984 presidential election.
