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Electronic Commerce
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We cannot imagine exactly what the 21st century will look like, but we know that its science and technology and its unprecedented fusions of cultures and economies will be shaped in large measure by the Internet.

One of the most revolutionary uses of the Internet is in the world of commerce. Already, we can buy books and clothing, obtain business advice, purchase everything from garden tools to hot sauce to high-tech communications equipment over the Internet. But we know it is just the beginning. Trade on the Internet is doubling or tripling every single year. In just a few years, it will generate hundreds of billions of dollars in goods and services.

If we establish an environment in which electronic commerce can grow and flourish, then every computer will be a window open to every business, large and small, everywhere in the world.

President Bill Clinton

FOCUS

A Market for Just About Anything
With electronic commerce people will have a virtual shopping mall
that is always open, all across the world. Excerpts of remarks by
Vice President Al Gore.

Cooperation Needed
Electronic commerce will rely upon private sector solutions and market-driven possibilities. It will not be, and should not be, a
government run marketplace. Excerpts of remarks by Secretary of Commerce William Daley.

Global Partnership for E-Commerce
The U.S. government is working with other governments and the world business community to create a digital economy. An interview with Ira Magaziner, senior advisor to President Clinton for policy development.

COMMENTARY

New Products, Services Needed
The challenge is to develop products and services that are more than just digitalized versions of traditional business. An interview with Internet pioneer-developer Vinton Cerf.

The Internet Has Come of Age
The Internet is not only open for business, it is ready for business. Excerpts of remarks by Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of IBM Corporation.

Keep Big Brother's Hands Off the Internet
If Internet users are to truly benefit from the new means of commerce, communication, and education that technology offers, governments should avoid harnessing the Internet with a confusing array of intrusive regulations and controls. Senator Ashcroft takes issue with administration views on the Internet and the use of encryption technology.

By Senator John Ashcroft
Republican, Missouri

The Risks and Rewards
Businesses need to understand the changes the information age offers and take advantage of them.

By Larry Irving
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information

Securities Fraud Looms as Dark Side of Internet Growth
The dramatic growth in online investing has a dark side to it -- criminals looking for opportunities to defraud unsuspecting investors.

By Jim Fuller

The Internet and Global Trade With the Internet, our communication distance has diminished to near zero, fostering long-distance relationships that become apparent immediately to every hopeful entrepreneur who establishes a Website.

By Harold Wolhandler
Director of Research, ActivMedia, Inc.

REPORTS AND DOCUMENTS

A Framework for Global Electronic Commerce
This executive summary of a White House report sets forth general principles for a world-wide, free-trade zone on the Internet.

Electronic Cash and the End of National Markets
As the use of electronic cash soars, governments will face difficulties in controlling monetary policy, taxation, financial regulation, and crime.

By Stephen J. Kobrin

DEPARTMENTS

Bibliography
Books, documents, and articles electronic commerce.

Internet Sites
A list of Internet sites on electronic commerce issues

COVER: Designed from images Copyright (c) 1996 PhotoDisc, Inc.

Global Issues
An Electronic Journal of the U.S. Information Agency

Publisher Judith S. Siegel; Editor John Walsh; Managing Editor Ed Scherr; Text Editor Jim Fuller; Internet Editor Tim Brown; Associate Editors Guy Olson, Wayne Hall; Contributing Editor Jerry Stilkind; Reference and Research Monica Mieroszewska, Joan Taylor; Art Director Chloe Ellis; Graphics Assistant Sylvia Scott; Editorial Board Howard Cincotta, Judith S. Siegel, Dave Hamill.

USIA's electronic journals, published and transmitted worldwide at three-week intervals, examine major issues facing the United States and the international community and inform foreign publics about the United States. The journals -- Economic Perspectives, Global Issues, Issues of Democracy, U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda, and U.S. Society & Values -- provide analysis, commentary, and background information in their thematic areas. All journals are translated into French and Spanish, with the Hypertext versions published one week after the English; the Adobe Acrobat versions appear shortly thereafter. Selected issues are also translated into Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, and Russian, with the latter two appearing in Hypertext and Adobe Acrobat versions. The opinions expressed in the journals do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Government.

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Global Issues and Communications - I/TGIC
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Global Issues
USIA Electronic Journal, Vol. 2, No. 4, October 1997