Globalization

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
1

I don’t even know how to define it right. From what I understand it’s the phenomenon that arsis from free trade and mixing of cultures that has been made possible due to expedient successes in technology. If you do not agree with this definition or have a better one, please do share!

Going forward I don’t think there is any nation that can avoid it. The global markets are going to become stronger; world trade will boom and so will continue the circular process of dislocation of cheap labor. Today it’s China where you can find 57 cent an hour workers, tomorrow it might be Congo, who knows!

But it seems people on all sides, in developed, developing and underdeveloped countries are not happy about it. Citizens of developed countries complain about job losses while the developing countries complain about big corporations buying them out and then mistreating them. They claim that the only people benefiting from it are big corporations who thanks to free trade have big profit margins. I remember my Anthropology teacher who had done his research work in South America was border line militant anti-globalist. He would become so passionate while talking about how the evil corporations have ruined the village life of South Americans. He claimed that from being independent farmers who had a life of their own, they are now enslaved by these corporations with whom they cannot compete.

On the contrary, looking at some of the far eastern countries and especially these days China, which has benefited greatly from globalization, with not only an increase in the standard of living for all Chinese but there middle class is significantly larger now, and that gives a very rosy picture of this phenomenon.

Then there are endless social & cultural issues, some positive and some negative depending on what one’s personal view.

So, the question is, is globalization really an evil thing as some make it out to be, if not then why? And can there be improvements made in the whole process?

2

Personally Ahmadjee I believe this whole globalisation thing will eventually restore the balance of trade the way it was 3 hundred years ago. As late as the 17th century the subcontinent was responsible for around 30% of the Worlds total GDP and one can only imagine what proportion China was...

The flip side is :

1) Globalisation may cause the extinction of many cultures and languages

2) The World has no effective Global mechanisms to regulate many of the problems caused by Globalisation ( no Super Power would allow itself to be made answerable to an internatiional body as that would prevent it from invading whoever it wants.)

3) Globalisation without International environmental and labour standards essentially encourages corporate exploitation

4) Multi National Corporations have now become larger than many Nations and cannot be held accountable when their organisation is dispersed.

3

Allowing corporations to go into 3rd world countries where they can rape the earth due to lax pollution laws and take advantage of the people because they are starving all in the name of greater profit is irresponsible, sickening, and ongoing. Corporations cannot be expected to uphold any morality codes on there own thus intervention needs to be brought in by governments or governmental assembled institutions. Worldwide Unions are needed or profits before people will continue on as they have done so. That said the idea of spreading ones resources around on the world market has always been an attractive one, it can infuse cultures closer to one another and can act as a deterrent to war.

Southwest Asia women’s fashion is spreading to the states, that’s a good thing.