1. From international to global

At a time when globalization is both characteristic of the 21st-century world and blamed for all its ills [1] , free trade is now accepted and regarded as the only way to ensure growth, economic progress and innovation. In this respect, the opening of borders to products (and now services) from other countries is seen as a factor of competition, which is desirable if it is controlled (see figure 1 ). Globalization is a long-standing and inescapable phenomenon, whether it pleases Alain Minc or horrifies Viviane Forrester [1][2] ; it is also a complex and multi-dimensional phenomenon, encompassing trade in goods and...