Globalization Is Inevitable and Irrefutable - Essay Example

Globalization is Inevitable and Irrefutable The concept of globalization captures an increasingly widespread perception of a deepening, broadening, and speeding up of inter-connectedness across the world in almost all major aspects of life. Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary General, while addressing an international conference of NGOs, noted, "Arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity" (Annan, 2000: p1). To understand what Kofi Annan meant by this statement, it is essential to first understand the context of globalization in which he made his assessment. In this case, globalization refers to the increasing interconnectedness of places and people due to advancements in information, communication, and transport technologies, which have precipitated a wave of cultural, economic, and political convergence. The laws of gravity, on the other hand, propose that all particles in the universe attract each other with a directly proportional force to the product of the particles’ masses (Gondhalekar, 2011: p21). This condensed law of gravity has been proven scientifically to be inevitable and irrefutable. Based on Kofi Annan’s analogy, globalization, despite being a controversial concept, is inevitable and irrefutable. Perhaps the most important evidence as to the inevitability and irrefutability of globalization is the United Nations. Indeed, the biggest function of the UN is to act as an international forum for the organization of dialogue and meetings where government representatives from around the world can come together to adopt shared values and standards (Kunkel, 2014: p240). As globalization has hastened the transfer of power from state actors to non-state actors, non-state actors like the UNHCR, UNDP, and UNEP have become increasingly influential on transnational issues. Today, there are growing calls for the strengthening of the UN in the face of new challenges like human rights violations, humanitarian crises, environmental and health concerns, and armed conflicts. Never has the UN been called on to solve so many challenges, which is evidence of states becoming more globalized. The UN, as an organization where different state and non-state actors can dialogue, has provided an avenue where governments form partnerships and relationships, in turn accelerating the pace of globalization (Rasche & Gilbert, 2012: p108). Another issue where the phenomenon of globalization has greatly affected is the relationship between EU member states, which have witnessed increased integration since the end of WWII. However, apart from helping EU member states avoid a repeat of the destructive war, this integration has also served as a response to the challenge of globalization. For EU member states, economic relationships have been drastically reconfigured by globalization where emerging economies in Latin America and Asia have greatly altered global GDP distribution (Sassen, 2013: p29). European member states, therefore, have reacted by seeking greater integration as a way of coping with the emerging geopolitical landscape. EU member states have, as a result, become more interdependent in the face of threats from a resurgent Russia, as well as the need to keep cordial relations with partners of Russia in the BRICS organization without antagonizing their US allies. The inevitable and irrefutable wave of globalization has, essentially, forced EU member states to put aside hostilities in the face of a new global world with new geopolitical realities (Richardson, 2012: p43). Globalization has also acted as a catalyst in the paradigm shift away from era of international politics and nation states, and to a new era of global politics. The 9/11 attacks in the United States ushered in a new age, in which the United States was no longer a separate reality of prosperity and peace (Bunker, 2013: p149). In addition, diseases like Ebola and West Nile virus now reach Europe and North America, while human trafficking and illegal immigration continues to grow. The idea that Northern American and European countries can have globalization their way, tapping cheap labour and energy resources from different regions of the world without any share of the burden is now increasingly questioned. The ability for terrorists to take advantage of transnational transport and communication infrastructure to commit crimes has greatly literally and figuratively shrunk the distance between nation-states, driven by the process of globalization (Baylis et al., 2013: p36). Generally, attempts to solve global challenges have mainly focused on the creation and reform of various international institutions and this has been evident in the evolution of EU institutions, both in terms of organizations and regulations. The increased illegal immigration into Europe from Asia and America, for example, has raised calls for institutional reform to deal with it (Conversi, 2014: p33). In addition, the Turin European Council expressly recognized globalization as the biggest challenge for EU institutions. Noting that liberalization of capital movements and international trade, accelerating technological advances and information societies, and withdrawal of state actors from specific economic issues pose unique challenges for the EU, Caporaso and Madeira (2012: p44) argue that EU member states must support EU institutions wholeheartedly to face globalization. Globalization, in making EU economic integration inevitable for the EU’s survival, has also necessitated far-reaching institutional reform proposals. The effects of the globalization phenomenon can also be seen in the way that it has affected thinking on human rights in the international arena. The process of globalization has significantly changed the concept of human rights, especially as children, women, and ethnic minority groups come of age on the international arena in development and liberation (Dreher et al., 2012: p532). Enablers of globalization, such as travel, information, and communication technologies, as well as international NGOs, have enabled indigenous groups to develop strategies for survival. This threat on the human rights of ethnic minorities and indigenous groups, hastened by collaboration between state actors and capital formation agents like the World Bank on policies endangering these groups, has made the negative effects of globalization impossible to ignore. Globalization has also led to several international legal developments, one of which is the assertion of human rights laws above all other international law fields (Brysk & Jimenez, 2012: p9). In relation to international law, the influence of globalization is even more evident and irrefutable, especially with the sheer hat significance and volume of human activity that globalization has unleashed, which has fast-tracked normative efforts to regulate these activities. There is increasing pressures from globalization on the status of norms in international law, especially in the field of economic and social human rights, where these are seen as increasingly more superior than international laws regulating the markets (Nzelibe, 2011: p635). Moreover, the growing influence of globalization can be seen in the emphasis of regulations over laws, which is manifest in the emergence of soft laws, standards, and directives. In keeping with the still ambiguous nature of globalization, the new regulatory modes emphasize incentives and self-regulation, rather than constraint, which has dominated international law since the end of WWII. In addition, globalization has also modified international law in a fundamental manner, transforming inter-state law into global law by eroding the public/private distinction (Bernstorff, 2015: p284). The influence of globalization is evident in the pattern of global migration as well, with increased attempts by countries in Europe and North America to manage migration made for economic benefit for their own benefit. With the current economic and demographic imbalances between these regions and developing countries, globalization has acted to significantly correct this imbalance with transport technologies speeding up the migration of people for economic reasons (Papastergiadis, 2013: p51). The modern, post-industrial globalized economies and society require mobility of experience, expertise, and skills and their easy transferability to different geographic locations within and without nation-state boundaries. The influence that economic globalization as had on global migration patterns is most evident in the hot debate in the EU, North America, and Australia on whether to regulate migration. The rise of Nationalist parties in these countries is testament to the impact that globalization has had on global migration, with the rate of migration increasing dramatically with the advances in transport infrastructure (Czaika & Haas, 2014: p297). Possibly the most significant debate around economic globalization has been on its impacts on the lives of poor countries and people around the globe, as well as whether globalization is an obstacle or enabler of human development. Major international organizations like the UN, the IMF, and the World Bank have maintained that the effects of globalization will be beneficial for the poor (Otsubo, 2015: p33). Some of these effects, which are already in progress, include the effects of economic liberalization on the flow of finance and trade, growth in trade for poor countries, and growth of income. It is indeed true that industrial and financial globalization have significantly increased opportunities for developing and developed nations. The influence of globalization can be evidenced in the ability of developing countries to attract foreign capital and foreign investors (Lalountas et al., 2011: p642). While this has had positive and negative impacts on developing countries, the influence of globalization on the process has been undeniable. Global ethics is another area where the impact of globalization has been inevitable, especially with the spread of global finance and global trade. The global financial crisis in the late 2000s provided a glimpse into the ethical conundrum that faces national financial systems in a globalized world, especially one where the financial activity of one nation-state impacts other nation-states (Myers, 2014: p52). While the law-breakers that precipitated the crisis are yet to be clearly identified, it is obvious that the financial ethical behaviour that worked for nation-states has been challenged substantially by a globalized financial system. In addition, globalization has increased the need for multinational corporations to practice ethical corporate governance, particularly since advances in ICT and transport have opened up unethical practices in developing countries to the scrutiny of consumers in North America and Europe. The development of a global ethic, especially among public-sector organizations, has been accelerated by globalization and the increasing influence of international law and institutions (Andrade, 2014: p500). In conclusion, globalization is generally used to describe the increasing interdependence and interconnectedness of international relations, where economic, political, and cultural activities in one part of the globe portend significant effects on another region. When Kofi Annan stated that “arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity”, he meant that globalization today is inevitable and irrefutable, and cannot be halted. This paper has identified various aspects of the contemporary world that provide evidence of this phenomenon, especially noting the emergence of the UN and increased integration of the EU and reform of its institutions as an unmistakable effect of globalization. Other issues like increased global migration, the growing security threats from terrorism, and the enhanced position of human rights in international law provide further evidence for the spread of globalization. References Andrade, L. M. (2014). Ethics of Liberation in the Age of Globalization and Exclusion. Hispanic American Historical Review, 94(3), 499-501 Annan, K. (2000, August). Secretary-General Kofi Annans opening address to the fifty-third annual DPI/NGO Conference. Retrieved June 9, 2015, from 59th Annual DPI/NGO Conference: http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/annualconfs/53/sg-address.html Baylis, J., Smith, S., & Owens, P. (2013). The globalization of world politics: an introduction to international relations. 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