GLOBALIZATION

The term ‘globalization’ became a buzzword in the ‘Roaring Nineties’ and since then the popularity of it did not change. But this does not mean that this ‘movement towards greater interdependence and integration’ has begun then. Globalization has started much earlier and is still expanding.

Considering that agreeing on one definition of globalization is nearly impossible there is also a big difficultly in deciding whether it is an economic, social, political or technological phenomenon. As in the parable of the blind men, when blind people have imagined an elephant after touching only one, different part of its body they were unable to create the whole image of this animal . They all were partly right but they considered only one important dimension. As in this parable, people should not describe just one aspect of globalization and forget the interconnected whole.

We can argue which of these spheres is the most important and why, but all of them exist together and we cannot forget about the rest. In economics globalization is mainly about exports and imports which are very important in today’s world. Most of us cannot imagine life without products from the other side of the world, for example bananas from Central America or sushi from Japan. In a social way globalization made people better educated about other countries and cultures which caused them to migrate or travel more. On the other hand it is possible that many old traditions and languages will be forgotten. In politics globalization can be seen in international unions and intergovernmental organisations. Globalization is also a technological phenomenon. It enables people from other countries to work together without any time loss. Sometimes it can be difficult to decide whether it is a cause or a result of technological progress. In my opinion it is always connected. For example, was the Internet the reason for people to communicate more or was it a fulfilled need, a consequence of the globalization? These processes work together and thanks to that they have the possibility to develop faster and more efficiently.

Globalization causes many controversies, but is it possible to stop it? The arguments between people for localism and for globalism have reached extreme levels. But “Even ‘antiglobalizers’ must use the tools provided by globalization”, for example to recruit new sympathisers…

That’s what I think.

MANU

All quotations and the picture come from Globalization. A very Short Introduction by M. Steger. Definetely worth reading!