GRC - Globalization (Lesson)

Globalization

Throughout history there have been examples of international cooperation in order to plan for the world's future. But starting in the 1800s, those examples picked up in the number of instances and following World War II, the number of examples skyrocketed. And throughout history there have been examples of international economic connections; but again, since World War II, the number of those examples have skyrocketed as well. And also throughout history there have been examples of social, economic and political movements that crossed national boundaries; (can you guess what's coming next?) but since World War II the numbers of examples of those have increased. This is due to the fact that, since World War II, the planet has experienced globalization on an historically unprecedented trajectory.

Globalization, according to one definition, is the act of globalizing, or extending to other or all parts of the world. Themes within globalization include demography, production and consumption (economics,) citizenship, foundations of politics, and acceptance/resistance to new ideas/concepts/practices.

Demography

Demography is the study of statistics such as births, deaths, income, or the incidence of disease, which illustrate the changing structure of human populations—and in the last century, this field of study has been very busy. From 1800 to 1960, the world's population went from 1 billion people to 3 billion—that's a span of 160 years. However, from 1960 to 2000 (a span of four decades,) the world's population doubled from 3 billion to 6 billion. In 2011/12, the global population was at 7 billion (that's an increase of over 16% in just over a decade—the rate seems to have picked up a bit.) This population explosion came from the decline in mortality rates (especially among young children) and the increase in life expectancy throughout the world—but particularly in Asia (which experienced a 400% increase in population,) Africa (with a 550% increase in population,) and Latin America (with its 700% population increase.) And while demography is certainly concerned with population statistics, it also likes to look into the lives of those populations to determine patterns. As the world population went from 3 to 6 billion people, certain patterns emerged. For example, Feminism—a movement concerned with gender equality—went from being an issue in Europe and North America in the 1960s to become a global issue in the 1970s. Another example included health—with access to better food and healthcare mortality rates dropped and life expectancy increased. And while this pattern was universal, there were particular pockets where disease hit disproportionately—those pockets were locations where medicine and proper water treatment and waste disposal were less accessible.

 

Production and Consumption

More people on the planet meant more mouths to feed. To keep up with demand, the planet experienced a "Green Revolution" in food production. Starting in the 1950s, experiments in chemistry led to an increase in agricultural production with the use of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. In the 1970s, genetically engineered crops entered the "Green Revolution" providing larger crop yields at faster rates. The United States particularly benefited from the scientific advancements of the "Green Revolution" in agriculture. By 2000, the United States provided 1/9^th of the world's wheat and 2/5^ths of the world's corn. The increase in production, however, was not limited to scientific breakthroughs—in some cases, it came from the very traditional practice of opening up new land for the purpose of farming. In some cases, however, this led to environmental degradation. For example, in northeastern Brazil, farmers poured into the Amazon River Basin clearing jungle lands to make way for fields. This resulted in the contamination of the Amazonian biosphere that, in turn, led to a reduction in the diversity of the plant and animal life found within.

 With an increase in production came an increase in consumption—especially of the planet's natural resources. For example, while the United States was supplying more food, it was also consuming more water with a per capita rate three times the global average. Plus, its dependence on oil increased during the last half of the 20^th Century. This increase in consumption impacted politics domestically as the nation grappled over conservation efforts; but it also impacted politics internationally as the throughout the world oil-importing nations clashed with oil-exporting nations and the latter clashed with each other in a competitive market.

All of this production and consumption (along with the population explosion) had an effect on the environment. International conferences convened to discuss resource use, pollution control, and the disposal of waste products. International treaties were signed to address the effects of one nation's practices on other nation's lives—for example, air pollution created by industrial and private emissions in the United States floated over the Canadian border causing higher levels of acid rain there than would have been experienced based on their own pollution rates. The same thing occurred throughout other continents as environmental consequences of national decisions did not stop at man-made political borders. The environmental movements that sprang up during the second half of the 20^th Century were particularly interested in studying greenhouse effects and global warming.

 

Global Citizenship

There are a lot of definitions for "global citizenship," but most include a sense of shared responsibility over the fate of the planet and the people on it. With that said, let's look into a couple examples of "global citizenship." One comes in the form of border freedoms created by treaties between different nations to allow citizens of those nations to personally pass between borders or to allow business transactions to occur across border lines freely. But another example can be found in the creation of supranational organizations. These organizations have international membership and provide international services such as the World Bank's funding of the Volta River Project in Ghana or of national parks in the Philippines. There are also Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that work independently of governments to achieve their stated goals—often in the form of humanitarian or environmental actions. In 1980, there were 121 nations officially recognized on the planet. Of those, only thirty-seven were considered democracies governing roughly 35% of the world population. Considering that most of the world population had various limitations on their ability to express their concerns and needs, NGOs formed to give them a voice. For example, in 1961, Amnesty International formed as an NGO to defend "prisoners of conscience"—those prisoners that were imprisoned for speaking or acting their minds politically. And while NGOs provide many benefits to the world, you should know that not everyone sees them through the same eyes. As international entities, they sometimes come to the table with a different perspective than the people they are trying to help. Those nations and cultures with memories of colonialism have pointed out that, to them, it feels as if the global community is practicing a new form of colonialism by forcing an international language on rights and standards upon them.

 

Religious Foundations of Politics

Religion can help make sense of the world and provide a communal identity—especially in a world that is rapidly changing and holding conversations about "global citizens." As people hold religious beliefs and political power, it is not surprising that the two—religion and politics—will blend. There are examples of this on every continent—even in nations with a formal separation of church and state. In India, Hindu Nationalism emerged in the Bhartiya Janata Party—one of the two major political parties of India that rose to power at the end of the 20th Century with its anti-Islam agenda. In predominantly Muslim nations, Islamic Conservatism arose to counter rising materialism and individualism—concepts that go against the pillars of Islam that encourage community and charity. Muslim clerics argued that the promise of modernization failed and then replaced secular leaders in politics. Even the United States—a nation with a formal separation of church and state—felt the involvement of religion within its own politics. Following the 1970s, protestant fundamentalism increased and targeted political leaders identified as abandoning Christian values—especially over certain issues like abortion or marriage.

 

Acceptance of or Resistance to Democracy

Following World War II, "democracy" was a key word—governments were already democratic, becoming democratic or rejecting democracy—during a period when new nations were forming on a regular basis. The conditions of democracy were defined internationally—simply holding elections was not enough to qualify a government as democratic, political ideology mattered (especially during the Cold War.) And democracies were prepared to go to war to "encourage" other nations to join them on the political spectrum (again, especially during the Cold War.) Ironically, once the Cold War ended, the world saw an upsurge in the number of nations voluntarily choosing to either form democratic governments or to improve the level of democracy practiced.

 

 

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