restige (inevitably a relative matter), per capita wealth (an absolute
             matter mostly, but with a psychological component that involves
             transnational comparisons), security and stability as defined by the
             absence of wars and threats, and the progress of American values such as
             global democratization, human rights, and the market economy" (Harkavy,
             1997, p. 583). Under these conditions, America's status as a superpower is
             The performance of any economic system depends factors such as
             institutional structure, policies, and the level of development (Montias,
             1974, cited in Elliott, 1993). The stratification of social classes based
             on the new technological needs is being seen in the urban centers around
             the world. The serf of the Middle Ages was replaced by the career employee
             and has now been replaced by 'cheap labor' that is exploited for the
             benefit of profit. The depersonalization of the workplace is seen in the
             use of temporary and foreign workman instead of a stabilized system of
             employment. The threat of moving the company to a foreign site provides
             leverage by which benefits are denied and wages are decreased while the
             standard of living increases according to economic growth seen only on the
             high end of the income stratification.
             Economic development on a superpower' level is thought to be been
             profoundly affected by geo-political and military exigencies and ambitions
             and can only be supported as long as there is a successful and extensive
             development strategy aimed at generating continued high growth, military
             provisioning remains moderate and the population continues to defer rising
             ...