Global Study 1 Midterm Essay
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Lecture_2Spring1.pptxGlobalization – Causes, Trajectories, and Consequences
Some Scholarly Debates…
Does Globalization Differ from Internationalization? If “Yes,” How?
Internationalists according to Giles Gunn:
Believe that the world is organized around institutions and practices that are principally geopolitical
Believe that the world is organized around territorially bounded sovereign states
Giles Gunn attributes this system of state governance and international relations to the Peace of Westphalia (1648), which ended the European Wars of Religion
It would be more accurate to say that this system emerged from the French Revolution (1789-1815), the world wars that it produced, and the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) that brought it to a close
Genesis of State Governance/Permanent Institutions Committed to International Relations
Before the French Revolution:
States were not sovereign, kings and queens were (this system of governance is called dynastic rule)
Kings and queens did not possess absolute sovereignty, but shared power with religious institutions, regional governments, etc.
The people kings and queens ruled over were not citizens, who lived under public law
They were subjects, whose status was determined by a caste system and the private law, or “privilege,” that went along with it
Genesis of State Governance/Permanent Institutions Committed to International Relations
After the French Revolution:
States became sovereign (even those that continued to have kings and queens!)
There were efforts to destroy sites of competing sovereignty in the name of administrative rationalization
Subjecthood, caste systems, and private law began to break down in the face of concepts like citizenship and equality before public law
People started to be considered a nation, and they were strongly identified with the state and its sovereignty
Thus was born the concept of the nation-state
Genesis of State Governance/Permanent Institutions Committed to International Relations
These changes drove a revolution in international relations, which for the first time could be called international relations, since negotiations were conducted in the name of states/nation-states
The Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) represented the first time in history that:
Permanent, multilateral treaties were signed
Permanent international institutions were created, whose purpose was to insure the honoring of treaties
The Congress of Vienna helped inspire the creation of the League of Nations after World War I (1914-1918)
Charles Webster, a British delegate to the postwar peace conference, wrote a book about it
“We thus stand on the threshold of a new Congress without any…account of the only assembly which can furnish even a shadowy precedent”
How Globalization Differs…
According to Giles Gunn, those who emphasize the distinct nature of globalization believe:
That there are forces that transcend geopolitics or strongly shape their articulation
That there are things that go on above and below nation-states that influence the kind of power they command
What is meant by “above” and “below” nation-states? Are these distinctions helpful?
Globalizing influences transcend nation-states and international institutions, and in the process they cross boundaries defined in terms of politics, culture, religion, history, geography, and much more
Some Commonly Cited Globalizing Influences…
Commonly cited globalizing influences:
Multinational Corporations
For example, Amazon
Informal Economic Empires
For example, American capitalism
Religions and Religious Fundamentalisms
Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
For example, Human Rights Watch
Civic Movements/Pressure Groups
For example, environmental justice
An Example of Environmental Globalization from Current Events
Greta Thunberg, a Swedish teenager, helped found the school strike for climate movement in 2018, mobilizing young people to put pressure on their governments
On the lower right: A picture of participants in Kenya in March 2019.
The movement has assumed greater proportions, with Greta Thunberg spending September 2019 in the U.S.A., working with young Americans to raise awareness of the dangers associated with climate change ahead of the U.N. Climate Action Summit
Who Are Hyperglobalizers? What Do They Believe?
According to David Held, et al.:
Their analyses privilege economic causes
Globalization “is bringing about a ‘denationalization’ of economies through the establishment of transnational networks of production, trade and finance.”
They believe that global capitalism produces a global elite committed to “free market” economics
Whether among the elite or common people, consumerism replaces traditional ways of life
The final piece of the puzzle is the spread of liberal democracy, which creates political uniformity to match economic uniformity
Economy → Culture → Politics
Economic globalization bulldozes everything in its path
McDonald’s in Riyadh…
Who Are Sceptics? What Do They Believe?
Sceptics start from the same assumption – economics drives globalization
Sceptics differ in that they see national/regional governments as capable of resisting economic globalization
Our world is less globalized than that of the late 1800s, a period dominated by European empires and common currency standards
Major regional blocs are Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific
They also differ in that they do not see economic globalization as resulting in homogenization
Inequality between “haves” and “have-nots” produces extreme forms of tribalism – i.e., ethno-racial nationalism and religious fundamentalism
Economy/Politics → Culture
The importance of globalization is exaggerated
Trade war between the U.S.A. and China
Who Are Transformationalists? What Do They Believe?
Transformationalists do not prioritize economics, but argue that globalization is a complex/contradictory process in which politics and culture are equally as important
They also tend to think that globalization has no clear “end point” (e.g., global capitalism)
But they do subscribe to the idea that globalization is the most important driving force behind changes in our world
Some patterns have emerged
“Haves” and “have-nots” exist – not only in different countries (“First World” vs. “Third World”) – but in the same countries, even the same cities
There is a breakdown of the relationship between sovereignty, territoriality, and state power
Governments are forced to adapt/adjust in creative ways
The slums of a “World City,” Mumbai, India
Which School of Thought Seems Correct to You?
Does your answer change depending on what kind of evidence you prioritize?
Do you come up with different answers when considering economic, political, or cultural processes?
If so, how can we avoid the pitfalls of an incomplete/partial point of view, when analyzing globalization?
What does Barrie Axford say on the matter?
What does he mean by multidimensional globalization?
Do you agree with his argument(s)?
