Anti-globalization Movement - Case Study Example

Anti-globalization movement The term globalisation refers to increasing global connectivity, integration and interdependence especially in the areasof economic, social, technological, cultural, political, and ecological spheres. Anti-globalization is a common term used to discribe the political stance of people and groups who oppose the aspects of globalization. The anti-globalization movement has its predecessor in such movements as early as the 1968 movement in Europe and the protest against the Vietnam War in the United States. The anti-globalization movement as it is now known stems from the convergence of these different political experiences when their members began to demonstrate together at international meetings such as the Seattle WTO meeting of 1999 or Genoa G8 summit in 2001. The term globalisation has come become popular only since the 1980s and since then protest against globalisation started, the term anti-globalisation also became popular at almost the same time. The groups and individuals belonging to "anti-globalization movement" developed in the late twentieth century to resist the globalization of corporate economic activity and the free trade with developing nations that might result from such activity. For instance, these organisations are against the proliferation of multi-national corporations especially in the third world. Technological advances have made it easier and quicker to complete international transactions both trade of goods and financial flows. In other words globalisation refers to an extension beyond national borders of the same market forces that have operated for centuries at all levels of human economic activity-village markets, urban industries, or financial centers. There by turning the world into a global village. However, the opportunities provided by globalisation in real sense in not the same for all the countries and hence it has created an economic imbalance. This has resulted in the emergence of groups protesting against globalisation. "Anti-globalization" is considered by many to be a social movement, while others consider it to be an umbrella term that encompasses a number of separate social movements. In either case, participants are united in opposition to the political power of large corporations, as exercised in trade agreements and elsewhere, which they say undermines democracy, the environment, labor rights, national sovereignty, the third world, and other concerns (Wikipedia n. pag, 2007). There are several concerns that has been put forth by the anti-globalization movement. The people who oppose globalisation or the anti-globalisation movement argue that globalisation has been the main reason for enhancing poverty and claim that the creation of an unfettered international free market has benefited multinational corporations in the Western world at the expense of local enterprises, local cultures, and common people. Where as proponents of globalisation argue that it allows poor countries to develop economically and raise their standards of living. Hence resistance to globalization has been a result of people and governments trying to manage the flow of capital, labour, goods, and ideas that make up the current wave of globalization (Silicon Valley n.pag). Globalisation has been criticized on many fronts by politicians, members of conservative think tanks, mainstream economists, and other supporters of market-based economic integration. One of the major concern put forth by the anti-globalization movement, is that the major causes of poverty amongst developing and underdeveloped world. For instance, poor farmers in these countries face trade barriers. Besides it hs also been claimed by these groups that unemployment has also increased in third world countries. Another criticism against the movement is that, although it protests about things that are widely recognized as serious problems, such as human rights violations, genocide and global warming, these movements have never tired to solve these porbems. In many instances these anti-globalistion movement have also criticized the movement for engaging in violent or destructive protest. Incidences of violence was evident on N30, after the police began firing the at protesters, besides some protesters began breaking windows at the sponsors of the WTO meeting (Paul n.pag; Gillham and Marx 2000). Several times the activities by activists in these groups are questioned. The key organizers are considered to be communists or anarchists who aim to start a revolution. There are instances when this movement has directly attacked global capital's economic and political infrastructure with a radically democratic politics and a strategy of confrontation. It is bold, anti-authoritarian, and global in nature. Anti-globalization movements propagate the ideas that may be harmful in a long run to countries that support them. For instance, they say that the developing countries face special risks that globalization and the market reforms that reflect and reinforce their integration into the global economy, will worsen inequality, at least in the short run, and increase the political costs of inequality and the social tensions linked with it. They claim that the risks are likely to be greatest in the coming decade, as they predict that the transition period would be even more difficult without adequate support system (Birdsall, n.pag 1999). Some critics have claimed there is strong anti-Americanism in the anti-globalization movement. One of the best examples to quote here is the attempts to prevent the Americanization of French culture. In this sense, anti-globalization is considered as cultural chauvinism directed against American products, corporations and individuals. In many instances in countries like India and China, MNCs have been critised. There are also claims that anti-Semitism is a part of the movement. These charges are linked to the fact that unity with Palestinians and criticism of Israeli government policies are common among anti-globalization activists. Members of the anti-globalization movement are in general promoters for anarchist, socialist, social democratic or Eco-socialist alternatives to liberal economics. These people aspire to protect the world's population and ecosystem from what they believe to be the adverse effects of globalization. Support for human rights NGOs is another cornerstone of the anti-globalization movement's platform. This group of people in general support the labor rights, environmentalism, feminism, freedom of migration, preservation of the cultures of indigenous peoples, biodiversity, cultural diversity, food safety, and ending or reforming capitalism. There are several instances when these groups were succesful in stoping the construction of dams which might have been harmful to environment and would have required the displacement of population (Wikipedia n. pag, 2007). In conclusion, anti-globalisation movements have been responsible for several revolutionary activitese. While protests against MNCs may prevent the developmental activites, several protests against environmentally harmful projects have been a blessing for fong term global environmental damage. Hence, these activities has bothe been benificial as well as sometimes proven to be disadvantage for developmental activities. Since in many instances protests against certain developments have ended up in violence, it is important that these movements adopt peaceful ways to protest. Work cited Birdsall, N. Globalization and the Developing Countries: The Inequality Risk (1999) Panel 1: Economic Development, Economic Growth and International Trade, 12 May 2007 Gillham, P. F. & Marx, G. T. Complexity and Irony in Policing and Protest: The World Trade Organization in Seattle. (2000). Paul, A. Storming Seattle & Netwar in the Emerald City: WTO Protest Strategy and Tactics. Silicon Valley, What Is Globalization' 12 May 2007 Wikipedia Anti-globalization (11 May 2007) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 12 May 2007 Read More