Globalization
A Brief Review
Osama in the Globalized World
 Telecasting
from a cave
– The contradictions: the outfit, AK-47, etc.
CNN and Al-Jazeera collaborating
 Osama and international arm trade

Economics of terrorism (and crime)

Globalization and Terrorism
– Has globalization encouraged radical ideologies?
– Is globalization responsible for the spread of such
ideologies
– Has globalization made the job of terrorists easier?
Another crack at defining
globalization:
A continues process leading to free
movements and transfers of goods and
services and factors of production as well as
information and technology across national
borders aided and supported by national and
international market oriented economic,
political, and legal institutions in an
economically, politically, and socially
interconnected and interdependent world.
The Characteristics of Today’s
Globalization Process
New and growing social networks overcoming
traditional economic, political, cultural, and
geographic boundaries
 Expansion of social relations, activities, and
interdependence
 Intensification and acceleration of social
exchanges
 Globalization of human consciousness; people
becoming conscious of global interdependence

The Elephant in the Room
A multi-dimensional phenomenon:
 Economic dimension

Free trade vs. protection
The old equity and efficiency dilemma
Economy and the environment
Political dimension
 Social dimension
 Cultural dimension
 Information and knowledge dimension
The role of media

The Economic Dimension
From the prehistoric period to the modern time
 The post-WWII period before the 1980s;
government activism; Marshall plan, GATT, IMF,
World Bank, etc.
 The collapse of USSR and the emergence of the
new (neo-liberal) economic order with China as
major player; trade and financial liberalization,
worldwide economic growth, concerns about
income and wealth distribution; enhanced roles
of international economic institutions

Political Dimension
Nation states and their origins
International norms and laws
Nationalism, international disputes and wars
State Sovereignty and intergovernmental
organizations
 International organizations and treaties
 Globalization and national sovereignty: national
governments losing their control over their
relationships with other states (and in some
cases their domestic affairs) and yielding to
multinational and international organizations and
multinational economic powers
 Are nation states becoming a thing of the past?
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The Cultural Dimension
What constitutes “culture?”
 Do cultural interactions and exchanges lead to
uniformity?

 From blue jean, rock n role, and McDonald’s to Starbucks
and I-pods
 Why are most cultural conversions seem to favor Western
cultural phenomena?
 The role of commerce
 Western culture and democracy
 The role of media; media concentration
 Globalization of languages
 Cultural conversions and the environment
The Discontents with Globalization
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While benefiting many in different parts of the world the
globalization process has led to the disfranchisement of the
poorest of the poor in many developing countries as well as
some developed countries resulting in a widening gap
between the poor and the rich.
In their efforts to adhere to the prescribed economic and
financial liberalization (promoted and managed by the
West) many governments in the developing world have
curtailed or abandoned numerous social programs essential
to their economic development. (Education, healthcare,
etc.)
Insufficient concern for regional and global environment
has put many populations as well as the world as a whole
at risk while at the same time national governments find
themselves weakened, by a combination of economic and
political pressures from within and without, in dealing with
environmental consequences of globalization.
Discontents (continued)
The interaction between political and economic forces in
managing the globalization process seems to have been
directed more by politics than by economics.
 The unfair (excessive) influence of the powerful interest
groups, particularly the ones in the West, in setting the
rules of the game and shaping the global economy;
these rules have in some cases made the poorest
countries worse off.
 The conflicts (and competition) between small local
businesses and large multinationals often have led to the
disappearance of the former.
 The economic system (American style capitalism) forced
upon developing countries is not appropriate for many of
them and has in fact harmed large segments of their
population.

Discontents (continued)

The international organizations (WB, IMF,
WTO, etc.) managing the globalization
process are run by appointed (nonelected) officials mostly from rich
countries whose sensitivity to the
problems and needs of developing
countries is at best limited. Policies and
decisions undertaken by these
organizations tend to favor the political
and economic interests of the rich
countries their corporate citizens.
Discontents (continued)

The globalization process is being run in
very undemocratic ways. The rules and
policies are made by appointed officials
mostly from western countries who are
not accountable to even those countries’
electorates. Developing countries that are
most affected by the actions and decisions
of the managing international
organizations have little or no say in the
policy making process.