In the second question, you must also consider the state of the world economy. Is the world economy opening or closing? That is, are states continually increasing their trade and finance with each other and establishing more trade and investment agreements with each other ("opening") or are states working to put up more barriers to trade, finance, and global ties ("closing"). Is the world economy stable? That is, is world economy in good financial health, with good economic indicators, or is the world economy prone to crisis, such as financial panic? Remember one further, crucial question: how does the condition of the world economy depend on the position of the U.S