With the advent of so many new technologies during the Cold War, and the breakup of the Soviet Union, the world entered a new era of openness and interconnectedness. The personal computer, the Internet, and even early cell phones began to appear in the 1990's. As the word suggests, Globalization refers to business, organizations, countries, and individual people becoming more connected around the world. The speed of information has increased with the invention of the Internet, and people who used to never be able to talk to one another were now able, due to the new technologies available to them. Though it all sounds like a good thing, and indeed their are numerous intrinsic benefits, Globalization has also brought serious negatives to the world, and people everywhere are still grappling with trying to solve those problems.
The GoodAs can be seen, Globalization brings many good things, including access to more information that was previously unavailable, vast communication improvements, new job opportunities, and access to new types of medicines, among many other things.
Most importantly, it has broken down the traditional barriers that we have discussed since the beginning of this entire class. The old rivalries that sparked both World Wars have finally more or less been solved. European countries work together in a broader spirit of cooperation now, most share the same currency, and their militaries are no longer geared to go to war with one another. For the most part, there is a glorious sense of cooperation which has never been experienced before. Organizations are now also able to spread worldwide, and make meaningful contributions to the world at large. Businesses are able to expand and make greater use of what they already have on top of that. There is also so much more access to goods that never used to be available, due to how fast shipping times times are now on planes, trains, ships, and trucks. Food out of season can be obtained from other countries, historically expensive products can be shipped here at prices which ordinary people can afford, etc. Furthermore, it is now possible to travel to many countries which did not allow visitors before, and see new sights. Overall, Globalization has produced so many positive results, and people have really been able to benefit from it, due to the interconnectedness we now possess since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the reemergence of democracy. |
The BadUnfortunately, there have also been numerous negatives to Globalization, and we have ended up accidentally fashioning new problems for the world to try and find solutions for. Many feel that we are worse off since the beginning of Globalization, and in many ways, they are not wrong either.
Being more interconnected has created many problems, such as the worsening of many environmental issues. Though we have actively worked to fix much of the damage, with the global expansion of businesses and need for natural resources, we have continued to exploit some of what we have. Such problems as deforestation and oil spills damaging wildlife habitats must be ever present in our minds. Furthermore, with it easier to move between countries, it is far simpler to accidentally spread disease to people all around the world, and those health issues can seriously damage areas with no natural immunities to them. Other diseases, such as HIV/AIDS can be spread this way, and the last thing we need are those types of ailments making their way around the world. On top of that, there is the potential for overpopulation, not enough places to house them, and not enough resources to feed them, depending on the location. Most disturbing of all, we have seen the horrors of Terrorism. The ease of crossing borders, and the distortion of various religious beliefs, have caused many to take up arms against innocent people, in order to make some kind of a political statement. The violence only continues to escalate, and even though we may be able to stop some terrorists, we can never stop them all. It is extremely hard to kill an idea. This is why we will look at this issue separately. |