During the Cold War, two regions largely abstained from globalization writ large. The first abstinence, that of the Soviet Union, was by design. Globalization was created to isolate the Soviets. The second to abstain, the Latin American country of Brazil, held its systems apart for a mix of political and ideological reasons. When the Cold War ended, both opened themselves up, particularly to the inexpensive electronic and computing products of the East Asian Rim.
