Free Republic

Vive le Boycott! Using economic levers to reward our friends and punish our foes. by Irwin M. Stelzer 03/03/2003, Volume 008, Issue 24 "ONLY A DEMAGOGUE would say, 'Don't buy German' or 'Don't buy French,'" says Norbert Quinkert, chairman of Motorola Germany. He's wrong. There is a middle ground between the boycotts and sanctions we impose on our enemies, and the free access to our markets that we grant to our friends. Call it transactional selectivity. No need to rehearse at length for readers of this magazine the advantages of free trade. It permits the international specialization of labor that...

Geopolitics has intruded into the obscure world of shoe sole sales, with the first publicly documented case of a US company scrapping a German business deal because of Berlin's opposition to an attack on Iraq. Enefco, a Maine-based buyer of leatherboard - used in shoes and belts - has cancelled a €25,000-a-month ($27,494-a-month) contract with Lederett, a small east German company, citing "the lack of support for the US by the Federal Republic of Germany". Enefco - whose internet home-page features an animated US flag and the legend "God Bless America" - confirmed on Friday it had withdrawn from the...

German execs fear boycott over Iraq February 24, 2003 MUNICH -- German auto executives are keeping a wary eye on the United States, fearing a boycott over the German government's opposition to war with Iraq. Bernd Gottschalk, head of the VDA, the German car industry association, is apprehensive about discord between Berlin and Washington. "Although our relationships to the customers in America have grown for many years and can stand a lot, we should not put them at risk carelessly," Gottschalk says. Despite German fears, most U.S. consumers have shown no inclination to boycott anything. "We have talked to dealers...