Issues in a Globalizing World and International Relations - Essay Example

Issues in a Globalizing world (International Relations) Globalization Defined To start with, globalization is a term which encompasses a number of difficult series of economic, social, technological, cultural and political changes that have been happening from time to time on the global front. These changes have seen some serious strides that have been made with regards to increasing interdependence as well as mergers and interacting units between people from different locations and companies with diversified interests. The term started to take form in the year 1944 but it was not before the year 1981 that the economists actually started using it. Internationalization of Globalization Basis Globalization, for that matter, is also remarked as Internationalization since the nature of the two terms is on a worldwide scale more than anything else. However, on the part of the two terms, the one thing common however is the fact that these have identified themselves well with the changing (and growing) trends, where most of these are credited on the shoulders of the World War II, after which there has been a resurgent rat race nonetheless. The movement of commodities, people, information, money, technological developments, organizational infrastructures, legal frameworks and so on and so forth have only proved to all and sundry that globalization is a phenomenon and it is one that is here to stay for long. The world has become a global village due to globalization and it is a good omen if seen in the proper perspectives. (STOHL, 1988) Globalization helps improve cultural exchange across a wide cross section of regions scattered all over the world. It helps in playing its due part in the multiculturalism concept where the individuals within it have easy access to the cultural diversities of one another. There is a lot to learn and adapt in the wake of the same. At times, the imported culture literally takes over the reigns and the basis of the local culture of the time within a place or region for that matter and this is a testament big enough to prove of the origins of globalization and the same playing its full effect in the related scheme of things. Then there is the travel and tourism concept which comes under the globalization regime and not to forget the immigration subjects which are discussed every now and then. By having a global system in place which looks after the different countries sitting at a single location, the issue of illegal immigration within countries has also decreased as a result which is surely a positive sign. The local consumer products are introduced in far flung areas and this accounts to the progress thus made under the globalization regime. Basis of Islam within the State of Indonesia As a Muslim, it is one’s first and foremost belief that God (Allah) does exist and He is there to create everything and make everything change and happen. Hence for a Muslim, it is important to believe in One God alone and that is no one but Allah. (HAMAYOTSU, 2002) He cannot talk of Him as to how He looks like yet he can understand what He can do and bring a lot of happenings and changes in this material world. After all, this world has been created by Him and no one else. Similar is the feeling within the Indonesian foreign policy where there is a lot of emphasis on the religion of Islam since the country has been founded on the very discipline itself. The respect and dignity of Islam is such that the citizens of Indonesia hold fast on to and it is without a shadow of a doubt that there would never be made any policies or steps taken that are against the very norms of an Islamic regime or society. (GROSS, 1996) Issues that Indonesia faces in the wake of an Identity Indonesia is undoubtedly home to the largest population of Muslims within a nation at present and because of this very aspect it must hold on tight regarding the Islamic beliefs and preaching that it shows to the rest of the world, including the brother Islamic nations. There is a certain glitch when it comes to the definition of the Islamic basis within the Indonesian state and there has been found tension in the related ranks due to the very same thinking mindset of the Indonesian regime. (HOSEN, 2005) The problems have lasted ever since the state was founded, way back in 1945. There have been tussles and issues between the state and the top most hierarchy as to what exactly is the definition of the Indonesian state when it comes to Islam and its practices. There is thus a concept of a dual state within Indonesia itself and this raises quite a few eye brows since this nation should have been on the forefront when it came to spreading the message of Islam. The hiccups in the process of doing the same must be pinpointed so as to understand where the fault actually lied. Failure of Islam in playing a dominant role in the Indonesian Foreign Policy Islam has failed to create any impact within the lengths and breadths of the state of Indonesia and for this matter there is the formation of a concept which is pretty much foreign to the Islamic basis by all accounts. There is simply no explanation for a dual state when Islam is the single torch bearer within a Muslim nation. The question that rises in the whole context is that how could a Muslim state succumb to the pressures of anti-Islamic beliefs and attitudes when the country is home to more than 180 million Muslims? (SUKMA, 2003) The answer seems to be a difficult one for us to explore and comprehend at the same time but then again it is better to take the hard pill sometimes to discern the actual basis behind the issue at hand. The country’s independent basis and the politics that goes inside it is in essence lacking the very beliefs of the basis of Islam and this is one aspect that must have been given severe attention when the rulers were drafting policies and when the constitution was being passed within the state. Fall of Suharto’s Government in 1998 Ever since there has been the fall of military backed Suharto’s regime within the state of Indonesia, the country has witnessed a change. There has been a complete shift in the chain of command and more than that the thinking of the common man and woman on the street. The religion of Islam has come out clean and clear and has become an imperative underlying force for the nation. It is one which provides stability to the basis of the state itself and if seen in the proper perspectives would be the foundation stone for the progress of Indonesia in the coming times. With this, there have been instances where the policy making has been influenced in entirety by the tenets of Islam. Similarly, the country’s foreign policy has changed as a result with more and more emphasis being paid on the nation’s tilt towards Islam, which if seen from the country’s angle, is something of a victory for its people and towards the religion of Islam itself. Some people suggest that the influence of Islam on the country’s foreign policy has been a minimal one but then there are certain exceptions to this rule which creates a sense of ambiguity in the whole related discussion. (FORSYTHE, 2000) There is enough food for thought for one and all and this is an interesting disposition of the Indonesian regime to state the least. (SMITH, 2000) Conclusion In the end, it would be pretty fitting to suggest that the state of Indonesia might miss out on quite a few opportunities if it takes a passage which is so very against the basic tenets and teachings of the religion of Islam itself. The religion has taught so much and is a complete code of life for every Muslim in the world that it is literally impossible to avoid the very teaching. Being the most populous Islamic nation of the world, it becomes a double duty on the part of the Indonesian regime to comprehend and discern their position in such a scenario and enact policies and draft proposals so that the foreign policy of Indonesia could be settled once and for all and there are no problems in the wake of the very same, at any point in time. It is good to understand diversity within a state but then it is maddening to find out that a country has lost track of its very basis and that too in a society where Islamic beliefs hold so much importance and weight for its commoners. (KARABELL, 1996) The country just cannot afford to let down its citizens as well as the rest of the Islamic world and it must step up its policies in line with the Islamic beliefs and teachings sooner rather than later. All said and done, there still needs to be a lot of work done in the related scheme of things. BIBLIOGRAPHY FORSYTHE, David P. (2000). Human Rights and Comparative Foreign Policy. United Nations University Press GROSS, Richard C. (1996). Indonesian Separatism Seen as an Irritant, Not a Threat: Transmigration Policy Irks Natives. The Washington Times HAMAYOTSU, Kikue. (2002). Islam and Nation Building in Southeast Asia: Malaysia and Indonesia in Comparative Perspective. Pacific Affairs, Vol. 75 HOSEN, Nadirsyah. (2005). Religion and the Indonesian Constitution: A Recent Debate. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 36 KARABELL, Zachary. (1996). Fundamental Misconceptions: Islamic Foreign Policy. Foreign Policy SMITH, Anthony L. (2000). Indonesias Foreign Policy under Abdurrahman Wahid: Radical or Status Quo State? [1]. Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol. 22 STOHL, Michael. (1988). Terrible beyond Endurance? The Foreign Policy of State Terrorism. Greenwood Press SUKMA, Rizal. (2003). Islam in Indonesian Foreign Policy. Routledge Curzon Word Count: 1,524 Read More