Food & Energy Trading + Global Economy = Disaster Waiting to Happen

Basic national building blocks like food and energy are not well designed for a global economy.  World trade should be more about intellectual property and manufactured goods.  Any kind of a shortage in food and oil is bound to blow the whole system up; I argue imbalances in trade caused the housing bubble.  America was too deep in global trade debt to be able to afford to raise interest rates.  And Japan and China would not so aggressively allow American debt without the lure of food and oil.

Each nation produces enough food and energy for itself sounds quaint but there are a number of advantages.  First you are guaranteed a surplus of food that can be used to help nations with legitimate crop failure famines.  Second there is much less risk that a nation's oil is burned without benefiting its people.  Third a nation like China is discouraged from over populating and selling near slave labor in exchange for food.  Fourth trade in oil and food for the most part discourages innovation.  No one is going to innovate their way out of a commodity shortage until the whole world runs out!

Follow me over for links.

Many proposals to go the other direction:  Banker Calls for New Global Food Policy, More Investment in Africa.  You know the drill - nations cease to exist as they are replaced with a global IMF, WTO, OPEC bureaucracy.  Getting rid of nations is such a bad idea.  It invites global totalitarianism and stifles innovation and responsibility.

Now in the limited food and energy trading version no nation's food supplier can profit from famine because other nations will step in to meet any temporary shortage.  Not so in the global version - Profiteers Squeeze Billions Out of Growing Global Food Crisis.

I'm looking for a link or book that sums up the limited food and energy trading philosophy.  Please suggest and I will promote to the main diary.

Update:  Thanks kbee214 I'm reading through The People-Centered Development Forum now.  Looks like he just released the The Great Turning.

Further update:  Scathing review of The Great Turning from author of Radical Middle.

Opakapaka:  Yes that's the first problem with the food and energy trade.  Once a country becomes too dependent on imported food or energy then they are forced to do anything or its lights out.  As America with oil they are addicted.  See Japan's hunger becomes a dire warning for other nations.