Hoffmanns Clash of Globalizations - Article Example

The crux of transnational terrorism has its origins in poverty and illiteracy. The removal of the existing barriers to communication by the contemporary global trend towards a free flow of information enables the poorest of the poorest throughout the world to compare their plight with the affluent and the well to do (Hoffmann, 4). "These dispossessed then ask for help from others with common resentments, ethnic origin, or religious faith (Hoffmann, 4)." Thus the quintessence of the foreign policy of the incoming Obama administration should be to push for the establishment of civil society in the third world, by assuring a just and equitable distribution of the fruits of globalization (education, health, democracy).

A man with a full belly, a sense of hope and a discerning mind will rarely opt in favor of terrorism. This calls for a realistic extension of the scope of the American Dream to the third world through an ideological, institutional and financial backing of the development policies in the sensitive states. One particular aspect of the foreign policy of the outgoing Bush administration that attracted the ire of the disgruntled elements throughout the world was its hesitation to bow before some sort of global directives that could have possibly limited the "American freedom of action" in its war against terrorism (Hoffmann, 3).

However this necessary and vital war against terrorism would have certainly accrued more legitimacy and widespread support, had it been initiated and conducted under the aegis of somebody for international governance like the UN. The combined weight of the collective international conscience would have not only made the fight against terrorism more potent but would have facilitated a much needed universal definition of terrorism. Hence, it is vital for the new administration to revive and revitalize the status of the UN as a body for international governance and to some extent, bow before the dictates of the international consensus.

It is a pity that despite the allocation of massive funds by the US for humanitarian needs and aspirations, it has to date failed to highlight its human face in world affairs. Thus it is necessary for any effective US foreign policy to be perceived as being based on international consensus and humane values.