To Defend Civilization We Must First Understand It

Trade is "cosmopolitan" (cosmopolis being Greek for "world city") in the sense that it extends the civilization of the city-the division of labor, prosperity, and civility-across the whole world.

International commerce is also cosmopolitan in the sense that it brings together people of different cultures for mutual economic gain, stimulates cross-cultural learning and understanding, and increases the costs of prejudice. As Voltaire wrote in the 18th century:

"Go into the London Stock Exchange. . . and you will see representatives of all nations gathered there for the service of mankind. There the Jew, the Mohammedan, and the Christian deal with each other as if they were of the same religion, and give the name of infidel only to those who go bankrupt."