NEW YORK CITY-Former President Bill Clinton showed up at the National Retail Federation's annual convention here Monday and spoke about the importance of globalism. It was fitting for a show that makes the Javits Center feel more like an international terminal at a major airport than a convention center, due to the various languages and accents uttered in the building.

Clinton's speech to a packed audience displayed his international knowledge as a former statesman and current head of the Clinton Foundation, which takes on plenty of global endeavors, including earthquake relief in Haiti and public-health initiatives in Africa and other parts of the world.

He rattled off the challenges and initiatives that several developing companies face, such as environmental issues in Brazil, the disparity of wealth in India and the trend of major urbanization in China. All of these issues and more are tied together in today's global economy, Clinton said.