a globalized. across the globalization of middle classes i'm joined by richard wolffe in new york he's a visiting professor at the new school and in washington we cross to mark levine he's a senior fellow with the truman national security project in a radio host all right gentlemen that means you can jump in anytime you want richard if i can go to you first let's look at middle classes in the traditional rich countries and the emerging markets similarities differences. well the problem for the middle classes in the rich countries of north america europe and japan is that they've been on a thirty year slide and there is no end in sight to that process it's mostly having to do with the shift of capitalism from the high profit centers in those parts of the world to the so-called emerging parts of the world now where wages are cheaper and cost of production or less and so the profits are higher the problem is that in the transition of the last thirty years of capitalism from the old to...