VERY DAY， we hear more and more about the global economy.<br >Phrases like economic sanctions， 24-hour global trading， and<br >"international trade wars" appear continually in our newspapers，<br >magazines， and on television.<br > Whether we realize it or not， the world economy has become an<br >integral factor in our daily lives. From the imported alarm clock that<br >wakes us up in the morning to our retirement funds being invested<br >abroad while we sleep at night， our lives are increasingly influenced by<br >the growing world of international economics and politics. Whoever<br >we are--professionals or homemakers， farmers or college students--we<br >need to understand the basics of the world economy if we are to be<br >effective citizens and consumers.<br > The first step is to become economically literate. For many of us，<br >however， the study of economics has been an exercise in futility， full<br >of obscure graphs and equations， and hopelessly out of touch with our<br > daily lives. This doesn t have to be the case.<br > The world economy is really no more complicated than the domes-<br > tic economy we experience every day. It just seems complicated be-<br > cause it involves different currencies， languages， and political systems.<br > By understanding the basics of the world economy， we can begin to<br > make better political and economic decisions. And with economically<br > literate voters pushing them on， our politicians will finally start making<br > more rational economic decisions， leading to a more prosperous and<br > environmentally sound world in the years to come.<br > This is not a "get-rich-quick" book. If you want to make a fortune<br > in international finance， you will have to look elsewhere. However，<br >