Thought provoking ad from Chevron. Russia, a big oil exporter, imports coal, electricity and natural gas. Saudi Arabia imports gasoline. Now think beyond oil and energy. We are dependent on each other in so many areas.

The WSJ (sub required) last week ran a column about Alan Blinder's (historically big on free trade) concerns about job losses to offshoring. I wish they could have also analyzed what happens to the money which goes offshore. I would suggest much of it comes back to DisneyWorld, Pepsi, Harrods, GE Medical, Hollywood, our real estate. Last year, Lou Dobbs had a list of companies who supposedly "export US jobs" due to offshoring - but that list also is the same list of companies who are the top global brands. When a national airline in Asia buys a Boeing 777, there are domestic Lou's who lament that "offshoring" of precious capital. Trade is rarely one way.

But the US cannot continue as the engine for the world and keep running large trade deficits and immigration programs. Paul Kedrosky points out that for the first time since WWII Euro markets are worth more than the US ones. It's time for a "multi-core" trade and labor architecture.

The sooner Germany, France, Japan, Brazil, China, India and other emerging countries open their labor and consumer markets wider, the less ammunition folks like Lou Dobbs will have to shrink our world to our individual borders.

No country is an island. And if it behaves as one. think what island life would be like if you could not import most everything...