US Economic Development

The US is the largest economy in the world.  Though it was once a British colony, some might argue that the US uses its political and economic power as a neocolonist, at least in the Western hemisphere and perhaps further abroad as well.  The US exports products ranging from agriculture, to pharmaceuticals, to technology, to Hollywood.  Critics worry about the invasive nature of US exports, which also seem to promote changes in language, diet, and consumption habits, frequently in harmful ways.  The US is the largest emitter of carbon globally, which means the US development agenda has everything to do with global sustainability, and that local, domestic decisions are also of global significance.