Strategic alliances and global monopolies

The subject of economic power, with its systems of interactions and influences, has always ruffled analysts' fantasies. Near the end of our century, the world has seen an unprecedented concentration of intellectual forces, capital, and material resources, and globalization suggests that these concentrations cross not only national frontiers but the boundaries of economic and political regions as well. Two unique networks weave through the global competition of private firms, nations, and regions-the networks of strategic alliances and of global oligopolies. Initially, this expansion was promoted by various governments and political forces, but at the present time these networks have become increasingly autonomous and are powerful enough to expand without political support. This study summarizes the most significant features and important manifestations of these two new forms of competition and refers to the many challenges and questions-largely unanswered-that arise in relation to these two new forms of competition.