Reasons why Globalization is good for man-kind

Globalization which is termed as one of the most powerful and positive forces ever to have arisen in the history of mankind, is redefining civilization as we know it. This is one of my hypotheses. To be more specific, I will try to describe what globalization is, its impact on world peace, and the freedom it brings from want, fear, and misery.

Globalization has six major characteristics: economic development, democracy, cultural enrichment, political and cultural norms, information, and internationalization of the rule of law. However, I will briefly explain on the three major impacts of globalization to mankind:

1)ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Usually, globalization is described in terms of intensified commercial and trade exchanges, but it is about more than just trade, stock exchanges, and currencies. It is about people. What is significant today is that through globalization many nations are converging toward enhanced welfare. This convergence is exemplified by the 800 million people who, in the past 30 years, have left poverty and misery behind. They have greater access to health care, schooling, and information. They have more choices, and their children will have even more choices. Tan absolutely remarkable part is that it happened not by accident but through a combination of good economic policy, technology, and management. Of course, not all nations are following this path, but since the fall of the Berlin Wall, more and more are coming closer. Only Africa’s nations have yet to join, but who would have hoped and predicted 30 years ago that China and India, with such rapidity and efficiency, would pull their people out of misery? There is no reason why Africa, when its turn comes, will not do the same. Convergence should be a source of hope for us all.

2)DEMOCRACY

In general, since 1989, the best system to improve the welfare of all people, not only economically, but also in terms of access to equality and freedom appears to be democracy, the new international norm. As more and more countries turn democratic or converge toward democratic norms, respect for other cultures increases. Democracy has guaranteed welfare far better than any dictatorship ever could. Even enlightened despots cannot bring the kind of safety democracy is bringing. Sometimes a trade-off between economic allotment and democracy occurs. Sometimes the economy grows more slowly because of democracy. Let it be that way. Democracy brings values that are as important for the welfare of the human being as the economy is. After all, as history shows, the chance of international war diminishes step by step any time a country moves from tyranny to democracy, as democracies do not war against one another. That more and more nations are turning democratic improves everyone’s way of life.

3)CULTURAL ENRICHMENT

Critics of globalization frequently charge that it results in an “Americanization of culture” and concomitant loss of identity and local cultural values. I would propose a more optimistic view, and that is that globalization leads to never-ending exchange of ideas,especially through popular culture, since it affects the greatest number of people. Through popular culture, people from different backgrounds and nations discover one another, and their “otherness” suddenly disappears.