The Impact of Globalisation on the United States and Turkmenistan - Case Study Example

The change of status within countries that is occurring for globalisation to move forward is one that continues to change the United States and Turkmenistan with different procedures that are being used. On all levels, these two countries are experiencing rapid alterations in the way that things are being conducted, including policies and procedures to the current systems that are in place. Understanding the different roles that globalisation has played is one that is causing the countries to completely change their current national concepts. For the United States as well as Turkmenistan, the process of globalisation has impacted every area of life and functioning with changes that have been made in order to process what is necessary at a global level. Specifically, this functions around the concept of liberalization, where each of the economic, political, social, technical, environmental and legislative changes are moving into a transition phase. This is causing the policies, procedures and regulations to move into a free zone so that globalisation can occur. This means that the concept of going global opens up doors and is liberating things such as the economy. The response is that the other areas of living are also being forced to open up on each side. “When it comes to globalization, the transition question relates in the public domain to trade liberalization and to capital account liberalization (I.e. to the question of liberalizing the movements of capital). That the latter needs caution and careful preparation is now manifest” (Bhagwati, 2004). This shows that the concept of globalisation is one that works in all areas of the national entities, including the concept of liberating the entire nation states into a set of global relationships. The process of this transition is one that is now showing with one change in globalisation, is the following of other areas in society that are being impacted. For example, in both the US and Turkmenistan, the idea of being global began with economics. However, it is now being seen that this response is impacting the other areas of life in each of the countries, causing for the push to shift the necessary concepts and ideals in these countries. With this impact and the need to change, is also a new understanding of globalisation, where it is not only conclusive of one area, but is also bringing in a realization that it will impact all areas of life. “The great hope of globalisation is that it will raise living standards throughout the world: give poor countries access to overseas markets so that they can sell their goods, allow in foreign investment that will make products at cheaper prices, and open borders so that people can travel abroad to be educated, work, and send home earnings to help their families and fund new businesses” (Stiglitz, 2006). Even though many have recognized this particular aspect of globalization as the hope of the future for countries, the leading of economics, as well as the concepts being followed by politics, has caused specific responses instead of a continuous vision to lead towards a global arena. The main reason why globalisation is being pushed to make necessary transitions and to reach this overall goal is because of the way in which the government and business has responded to the process of making this transition, specifically in the United States and in Turkmenistan. With the United States government, there are two major responses that are effecting the relationships with other countries. These are based off of policies that are being made in order to combine economics and technology with governmental assistance. Many of these are based off of free trade with different countries, as well as outsourced products that are being made in other countries. These policies are being used for high-tech products at lower prices, easier trade and alternative intellectual and property rights within the countries. With this change are also continuous policies that are being implemented that is contrasting the concept of a free market with a restricted one from the government procedures that have to be used (Archibugi, Daniele, 1997). With the policies that are being put in place by the government and the United States, are other alternative responses that are coming from other governments, such as Turkmenistan. The country is recognizing that this does not fit with their current standards or needs as a country, politically. The response is to refuse to recognize some of the economic policies in the government, which is not allowing as much free trade to occur. With Turkmenistan, for example, there was a request to change the democracy of the area in order to comply with more global concepts. However, Turkmenistan refused to change this, as it did not align with the current procedures and policies within the country. The result is that the economics from an international level, such as the European Bank, refuse to send in lending or other monetary means in relation to the economy. This is causing the transition into globalisation to move into complications, specifically because the needs of the government policies that are already in place within the country have to be met (Wright, Shelley, 2001). As can be seen, the concept of liberating trade is one that is not allowing for a freedom of movement, but is instead, causing a response with the governmental policies that have to be implemented on a new level. This is further being defined by the responses that are coming from businesses who are trying to move into a push for free trade. This is because of the monetary benefits for cheaper labour, more markets for sales and new business opportunities. With business, the free trade act in the United States has allowed this particular freedom of movement for economics to move into better options for trade. However, in order for these policies to be implemented, the United States has moved into an ally with the World Trade Organization. Because of the alternative policies from other governments and businesses, the exchange in value and the other influences, such as social and environmental shifts, that occur in other areas of the world, the United States has had to set policies and has had to rely on an alternative organization in order to move into the concept of free trade in other regions (Schott, Jeffrey, 2003). A similar impact for policies and alternatives with business is taking place in Turkmenistan. Because of the boundaries that are associated economically with this country as a closed country, a larger progression and transition is having to be made to be more open with the progression of the country. However, there are certain trades, such as oil, that are being traded with different countries for lower prices in order to open up this area. This is allowing for more economic development to occur in the area. At the same time, there are policies and procedures that are causing this area to keep certain points of the economy from transitioning. This is known to be linked to borders such as cultural and social influences that are linked to the policies and ideals of the country and the economic exchanges that are occurring (Prakash, Aseem, 2000). The different responses that have occurred between the two countries are based on the economic and political policies that are continuing to be developed as globalisation continues to occur. Because of the need to balance the national expectations with new international demands, there is also conflicts and tensions that are occurring as a basis of what the expectations should be. This is causing the ideal for globalisation to become a liberating point, to instead have the opposite effect, in which policies, agreements and new trade concepts are having to be approached within each area. While some consider this particular concept liberating, others consider it to be an infliction which needs to have intervention. This is not necessarily linked to the business and political differences through policies, but instead through external factors, such as the social, environmental and legislative differences (Kiely, Ray, 2005). One of the major tensions that is arising from political policies and the push for businesses to move into the different areas is coming from the social structure that is a part of each of the areas. Most in other countries are either able to tap into the economic advantages, or are having problems with the economic policies and pushes that are intruding into the countries. Because the structure of the economic status is based partly on culture and social influence, other countries are not able to benefit as much as possible through the move into globalisation. For example, in Turkmenistan, and other Eastern countries, there are options such as unionism and labour policies that have been socially accepted. As new policies and businesses move into the area, there is the need to alter this. Most who have developed these specific trade ideals, both in the United States and in Turkmenistan, are resisting the changes that are occurring because of the changes in monetary value, work expectations and other ideals that are also changing the social environment (Woodiwiss, Anthony, 1998). With both the United States and with Turkmenistan, this resistance can be associated with a social identity that is at a national level and is related to the loss of old cultural values in exchange for new ones. This is causing problems with those who are deeply rooted into the culture and who are wanting to preserve the cultural values within their country. In order to completely make this transition, it is now being seen that there needs to be new educational rules that are available for economic and political development on an international level, as well as social values that are related to the countries on a national level. “The importance of citizenship education in the...countries [is related to] undergoing a traumatic social and economic transformation....The process of building a new independent nation requires 'new approaches to the study of national history, culture, and national identity, which form the core of civic education'” (Zajda, Joseph, 2005). In order to completely develop a global perspective in the countries, it will take an understanding of new cultural concepts, as well as the old. This includes ethnic ideals, language barriers, social perspectives that are related to business and political agendas that are linked to the economy. It is only through slowly changing educational values that there can be a different understanding that can begin to connect the globe with economics, politics and other concepts. Not only is the resistance of the transformation of globalisation linked to the deeply inherited cultures of both countries, but is also related to the environmental changes that have to occur. This is an underlying change that is also being resisted with the different policies that are being implemented, especially in relation to business relationships. The environment that is in each area is being a shown as a preservation of power within each of the national areas, causing for even more tension with the desire to use globalisation as a liberation. This not only includes natural resources that are developed in the area, but also human resources and population in each area. Because each of these are considered resources, globalisation impacts the amount of resources that are available, as well as the impact that this will make for the national economy. For instant, the resource of oil in Turkmenistan, while being traded freely for a specific price, is also one that, while moving into a global arena, will affect the overall environment. As more oil is traded for profit, there will need to be a restructuring of the environment. Another example is in the US, with the resources being workers. As the environment shifts for the work to move into another area, is also resistance of what will occur with a change in the work environment. The result is that more policies are put into place politically, causing the liberalization through globalisation to be stifled (Lofdahl, Corey, 2002). The result of the resistance that is occurring on all levels and on both sides, is one that then moves into effect through legislative changes. Because of the environmental, social, cultural, economic and political impacts that are a part of the globalisation transition, legislative changes are then put into effect in order to ease the tension and to re-balance the countries trade. This is typically done through the country's social policies and environmental shifts that are used in order to build a sense of cooperation among the different nations. From this, is a continuous set of changes that are occurring nationally from the US and Turkmenistan so that there is the ability to balance the labour forces and systems that are a part of each of the structures. The result is a continuous transition in order to identify the best structure for keeping a national identity, while allowing for international free trade to begin to occur. This is not only happening through legislation on a national level, but also on an international level, including involvement of organizations such as the world trade organization and the world bank (Benvenisti, Eyal, 2003). With the different impacts that are a part of globalisation, are also different types of effects that are moving into a transition within both the United States and Turkmenistan. While both countries have begun to move into world trade within the economy, the other factors, such as the social, cultural and economic impacts are causing for severe changes to have to be made within the country. The result is the need to re-define educational ideals, as well as legislative and political acts within the country. As this transition continues to move forward, more ideals will need to be redefined in order to reach the true concept of globalisation, which includes the liberalization of countries for economic, cultural and political purposes. References 1. Archibugi, Daniele, Jonathan Michie, 1997. Technology, Globalisation and Economic Performance. Great Britain: Cambridge University Press. 2. Benvenisti, Eyal, Georg Nolte, 2003. The Welfare State, Globalization, and International Law. Israel: Tel Aviv University. 3. Bhagwati, Jagdish, 2004. In Defense of Globalization. New York: Oxford University Press. 4. Kiely, Ray, 2005. Empire in the Age of Globalisation: U.S. Hegemony and Neo – liberal Disorder. Michigan: Pluto Books. 5. Stiglitz, Joseph, 2006. Making Globalization Work. New York: W.W. Norton and Company. 6. Lofdahl, Corey, 2002. Environmental Impacts of Globalisation and Trade: A Systems Study. Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 7. Prakash, Aseem, 2000. Responding to Globalisation. New York: Routledge Advances in International Political Economy. 8. Schott, Jeffrey, 2003. Free Trade Agreements: US Strategies and Priorities. Massachusetts: Institute for International Economics. 9. Wright, Shelly, 2001. International Human Rights, Decolonisation, Globalisation: Becoming Human. London: Routledge Studies. 10. Woodiwiss, Anthony. (1998). Globalisation, Human Rights and Labour Law. Cambridge Studies, United Kingdom. 11. Zajda, Joseph, 2005. International Handbook on Globalisation, Education and Policy Research: Global Pedagogies and Policies. The Netherlands: Springer. Read More