There have been corporate sacrifices to help win wars, too. The Axis powers controlled the majority of natural rubber plantations during World War II.
Standard Oil farmed out its patented method for making synthetic rubber to its American competitors -- albeit with encouragement (okay, arm twisting) from Congress.
After Sept. 11, airline, insurance and other industries looked to government for help. Government has started looking back.
When the government first suggested that to speed wheat to starving Afghans, it would buy it from Asia, some domestic growers protested.
Congress convinced them that they should take the patriotic long view. Backing down made business sense in the end.
As of mid-November, the US had bought 15,000 tonnes of Kazakh wheat and over 300,000 tonnes of American grain.
Talking the talk
Partly because Afghanistan has long been kept out of international markets by war and its aftermath, there are few immediate arenas where American national and business interests could collide.
Next door, however, is another story. Pakistan's textile and apparel firms employ an astonishing 60 percent of the industrial work force, and American firms are the country's largest buyers. Or they used to be.
Since Sept. 11, American orders have plummeted by two-thirds, according to Pakistani trade groups, and unemployment rate is soaring.
That's bad news for the government of General Pervez Musharraf, which is already faces heavy criticism for helping the US from Pakistan's radical minority.
Among the US corporations that have greatly reduced or even eliminated purchases from Pakistani firms is American Eagle Outfitters and Tommy Hilfiger, two firms that have made a steady stream of profits on patriotic imagery and products in the American market since the attacks.
"I agree it is likely detrimental to Pakistan to cancel orders," said Laura Wile, chief financial officer of American Eagle Outfitters. "But I think every company has to assess the risk/reward relationship for themselves."
RSS