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WA1. Globalization

Statement

This week, we started learning about globalization, its historical foundations, various theories that explain the processes, and its impact on nations, economies, cultures, and societies. We also explore the factors that shape globalization and its development; and the challenges around globalization.

This assignment will assess your knowledge and skills regarding:

  • Utilizing information effectively to support arguments in the globalization discussion.
  • Describing the theories of globalization and key issues in globalization.

In this assignment, you are tasked with writing an essay about some key issues in globalization.

Based on your understanding of the concepts in the readings, please respond to the following in your essay:

  1. Read through any of the four case studies from The Global Citizen Issue 2: Globalization that is mentioned in the reading of this unit.
  2. Choose one (and only one) of these four cases, and answer the following questions:
    1. How did globalization change some people’s lives?
    2. Globalization led to conflict in the case studies chosen. What was the proposed solution(s)?
    3. Explain ways to avoid or resolve similar conflicts about globalization in the future, even if rapid globalization continues.
    4. Over the years, in what ways has your region become more globalized?
    5. Do you see the results of this today? Explain why you cannot see the results of this today.

Answer

Introduction

Globalization is the worldwide movement of people, ideas, money, goods, data, drugs, weapons, computer and biological viruses, greenhouse gases and more (The Counsel on Foreign Relations, 2021). It is the process of eliminating barriers to trade, immigration, and communication between countries; and aims for every citizen to be a Global Citizen, that is, to call every place home and respect other people’s rights and cultures.

The text will discuss the first case study that discusses globalization in the Americas, especially the issue of border crossing between Mexico and the United States (Pier et al., 2014).

How did globalization change some people’s lives?

According to Pier et al (2014), globalization has a generally positive effect on the lives of people in the world. By analyzing the figures of the number of people under the poverty line, the number of poor people around the world significantly decreased since the second and third waves of globalization, despite the overall population growing dramatically; and the average income of people in the world increased 5 times since the early 1990s (Pier et al., 2014, p.16). There are also negative effects of globalization on the environment and workers’ rights, as the big corporation exploits the environment and workers in developing countries to maximize profits (Pier et al., 2014, p.11).

Fran (2022) also shares the same view stating that globalization has positive effects on the economy of the world as “globalization has lifted many countries out of poverty by sharply increasing trade, economic, and financial exchanges” (Fran, 2022). Also, globalization has cultural benefits that include international tourism and cultural exchange in the form of music, movies, and food (Fran, 2022).

In the context of the case study, the U.S. and Mexico border crises, globalization had negative economic effects on the Mexicans, especially the corn farmers as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) allowed for the importation of cheap corn from the U.S. to Mexico, which led to the collapse of the Mexican corn market where farmers started to migrate into Mexican cities, and then to the U.S. under the pressure of unemployment and poverty (Thomas, 2010). On the other side of the border, Americans accused the Mexicans of stealing their jobs, their manufacturing, and the influx of illegal drugs; especially as big corporations moved their manufacturing plants to Mexico due to the cheap labor costs (Hoban, 2017).

Globalization led to conflict in the case studies chosen. What was the proposed solution(s)?

Globalization, although unintentionally, created a conflict on the border between the U.S. and Mexico; between Mexican farmers losing their jobs and accusing NAFTA and the U.S., and Americans losing manufacturing jobs and accusing the Mexicans of stealing them. Each side presented its own set of solutions to the conflict, but neither solved the problem.

The proposed solution by Mexico, according to Pier et al (2014), was for the Mexican government to encourage migration to the U.S. considering the benefits of reducing unemployment, pressure on the Mexican economy, and the remittances sent back into the economy; this was clear in the pamphlet released by the Mexican government in 2005 which has instructions on how to cross the border safely (Pier et al., 2014, p.6). This solution did not solve the issue as it created more diplomatic tension between the two countries.

The U.S. proposed solutions to the border crisis were to build a wall on the border, increase border security, and deport illegal immigrants; this was clear during recent years with increasing regulations that make it harder to immigrate into the U.S. or get documented (Hoban, 2017). This solution also does not solve the issue as it creates a gap in the American economy in jobs that are occupied by undocumented immigrants and Americans do not want to work in (Hoban, 2017).

Explain ways to avoid or resolve similar conflicts about globalization in the future, even if rapid globalization continues

To avoid or resolve similar conflicts about globalization in the future, both sides need to act ethically and responsibly, and not use the free trade agreements to exploit the other side; fair trade is key in such a relationship to ensure the continuity of both sides (Pier et al., 2014). In the context of the U.S. and Mexico border crisis, the U.S. should introduce immigration reforms that allow for the legal migration of workers as opposed to illegal crossing, the U.S. can also help the Mexican government to crack down on corruption and drug trafficking along with financial aid to help the Mexican economy. Simplifying the process of legal migration into the U.S. is a solution that helps both countries without the complications of the border as illegal migration will stay as long as the U.S. economy needs workers that can not be filled using legal means (Hoban, 2017).

Over the years, in what ways has your region become more globalized?

The integration of my region, the Middle East, into the global economy has been partially successful (Ozdemir, 2008). It is also an interesting place to study the impact of globalization on countries that have embraced it and countries that have not. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a good example of a country that embraced cultural and economic globalization and became a global hub for trade, tourism, and finance; while Syria ought or forced to be isolated due to political and authoritarian reasons.

Do you see the results of this today? Explain why you cannot see the results of this today

The big difference in handling globalization between countries in the Middle East is clear, but this may drive the collective numbers of the area differently as opposed to studying countries individually. The overall results of globalization in the Middle East show positive economic growth, but not as much as the rest of the world (Ozdemir, 2008).

Countries with successful globalization policies such as UAE, Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan have seen a significant increase in GDP and economic growth; and reduced poverty rates and political instability. Countries with failed globalization policies such as Syria, Iraq, and Yemen show the opposite due to the isolation, improper protective tariffs, not integrating women properly into the workforce, rapid population growth, political instability, lack of infrastructure, corruption, and lack of education (Ozdemir, 2008).

Conclusion

Globalization showed generally positive results all around the world both culturally and economically. However, it is not all rosy as it has negative effects as well; those negative effects are mostly noticeable in developing countries and mostly due to the exploitation of the system by corporations or governments of the developed world. The U.S. and Mexico border crisis is a good example of a combination of both positive and negative effects of globalization, with both countries benefiting from it, but also suffering unique challenges that need collaboration to be solved. The Middle East is an interesting region to study the impact of globalization and the absence of it on countries; the results show significant economic growth in globalized countries while countries who choose -or are forced- to be isolated show the opposite.

References

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