The New Global Slave Trade

Bibliographic Data

ID3531992
AuthorsEthan B Kapstein (0000-0002-3134-0361, Institut National de Statistique et d'Economie Appliquée, corresponding author)
Year2006
Volume85
Issue6
Pages103
Publication date2006-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueForeign Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0015-7120 • E-ISSN: 2327-7793
PublisherJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/20032146
OpenAlexW1785590290
LanguageEN
Citations received10

WHEN MOST people think about slaveryif 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, techno logical, 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 govern mental 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

Economic geography · Economics · International trade · Political science · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · Cuban History and Society · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy