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Tradeblocks Case Essay Small business owners today are facing more hardship than ever before.   Internet commerce and regional trade blocs are the two main culprits.   Regional trade blocs combine company interests and are many time created by a nation, along with their neighboring nations, in order to compete more effectively in the global market.   Another reason for the formation of these blocs can also be so be to enable the involved nations in their efforts to impose more substantial sanctions against nations with whom they are at war or with which thy have political issues. There are many reasons for this trend and unless this trend is reversed, small businesses will continue to suffer and run the risk of no longer being viable. Robert Scott states in his speech, The U.S. Trade Deficit, Are We Trading Away Our Future?, that while U.S. workers have been hurt by globalization, multinational companies based in North America have prospered. Reversing this trend will require government help and support. He also states that these â€Å"informal coalitions† have successful undermined a great many trade initiatives during the last few years. The big question is, what steps can be taken to reverse this kind of trend and help small businesses to regain a more equitable footing the new global market?   Linda Schmid writes in her article, Identifying Business Interests in WTO Services Talks, that companies rising up in developing countries â€Å"can shape their trade future† by â€Å"knowing the market, spotting the barriers and voicing interests in the right channels.† Even though the landscape of small business positioning in the global market is bleak, the future can bring about profound change. Governments can easily assist their resident small business by joining with peer nations to help them to form coalitions of their own in order to have a louder voice with relevant venues such as the World Trade Organization. By doing this, small businesses can more effectively stand up to the new bullies on the block. BIBLIOGRAPHY Scmid, Linda   Identifying Business Interests in WTO Services Talks, International Trade Forum, issue 2/2005 Scott, Robert  Ã‚   The U.S. Trade Deficit, Are We Trading Away Our Future?   THIS TESTIMONY WAS GIVEN BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY AND TRADE ON JULY 22,1999.