GLOBALIZATION AS I SEE IT

This is a time when many world leaders (with the exception of President Bush and his ‘axis-of-righteous’ entourage) have prophesied three civil wars in the Middle East – in Lebanon, Palestine and in Iraq, if events occurring in these nations maintain status quo. With the global extent of such strife and global problems present in almost every corner of the world, the use of the term ‘globalization’ on this pretext can be justified.

When thinking about globalization, what comes in our minds first is the opposition it faces in the world today, which is exemplified by the protests (sometimes turning violent) during the WTO meets. The opposition globalization faces itself is a global phenomenon. These adversaries of globalization have come from many countries, and most of their ideas have been generated and spread through means like TVs, telephones and the internet (showing the freedom of information), which forms the back bone of globalization too.

The first phase of globalization occurred a long time back, much before the First World War. There was spread of ideas in mathematics, medicine, philosophy, religion, astronomy and science from India and China, to the European countries, through the Arab world. Since the industrial revolution in Europe, most of the innovations in technology have come from these European countries, and have affected life in countries like India, China and the Arab world. The first phase of globalization thus proves that this term ‘globalization’, though coined recently, is a very old system that had influenced lives in many ways.

You ask an Indian why he is proud of being one; he would surely mention that, the unity in India despite the cultural diversity of the Indians, is one of the reasons. One has to understand that many of the distinct features of various Indian communities have been brought about by the influence of other ‘civilizations’. Many of the spices, for which the Indians are famous, were introduced in the country by the Portuguese. Some of the cuisines, like the tandoori, which has become a ‘multicultural’ trait of Britain, came from India (which was from south central Russia in the first place). Sufi music has influenced music played in parts of India. Buddhism’s spread, started in India, and spread outwards to China and many south east Asian countries. These examples clearly show that the term globalization does not only include economics and politics alone, it is literally a ‘global’ phenomenon, encapsulating many subtle art forms, religious ideas, food habits etc. that can be enlisted as the cultural heritage of a nation.

The crumbling of the Berlin Wall and the disintegration of the Soviet Union came as the harbinger of globalization’s second phase. The alternative to free market capitalism, which was socialism or communism, had faltered. It is said by economists that socialism had prescribed means to distribute wealth efficiently in a state but had not described means by which to win this wealth. These days we find leftist parties, like the Communist Party in China, and in the Indian states of West Bengal and Kerala, opening the doors to foreign investment and moving towards privatization. The fact that these communist parties have appreciated the importance of having a free market speaks for itself.

Some of the not-so-free nations like Cuba, Russia, and North Korea have faced the brunt of having governments not elected democratically. Some of the other authoritarian governments are surviving because of a lot of clout they have due to abundance in some natural resource like oil. Many political and economic commentators find this very feature of democracy and freedom good enough to place countries like India, which began opening its markets in the early 1990s, above the Asian powerhouse China. They say that India, a few years down the lane, would be a better place for foreign investment, because ‘the Chinese did not know what freedom was’. This clearly proves the importance of a democratically elected government and the working of the economy in the lines of free market capitalism. Not to forget, democratization of information (synonymous with freedom of information) is one of the pillars on which the ‘global’ world exists – and it is found in abundance in democratic countries (though this freedom has not had a very smooth travel).

Most of the opposition globalization faces today, in the poor countries, come from a belief that it has its root in the Western ‘civilization’. The first phase of globalization clearly proves that there is no way to prove that one particular place initiated this phenomenon. It may be true that these western countries have propelled the phenomenon forward, as never seen before. These countries may not have made this rapid progress without the inward movement of the ideas in sciences (as mentioned above). What ought to be done, is to accept globalization as it is, and to make efforts to reduce its effects on one’s culture. In this way, one gains the benefits of living in a global world, without having to loose his identity. The following paragraphs describe the fear lurking in the minds of the people about the effects; globalization could have on their culture – their identity.


This discussion began with a description of the opposition globalization faces from the common man from many countries. This resistance comes when a proper balance between one land’s cultural heritage and the development through the global means is not achieved. When governments hug the ‘global’ way without giving a thought about their peoples’ concern regarding the effects of the same on their culture, this endeavour may backfire, as has happened in many cases. Issues that crop up when one foreign company tries to open a manufacturing unit in some place in India prove the point.

The uprisings we have seen, organized by the BJP and their coalition parties, against people observing the Valentine’s Day in India also exemplifies this. In this case, the affected BJP and its partners have been trying to invoke among the Indians a need to protect the Indian culture from the outside ‘global’ effects. The very fact that not many observed this day, a few years back, clearly shows that globalization has been in the driving seat for only the last decade or so. It would be worthy to mention that even when the BJP was at the helm of affairs in India they supported the opening of the Indian markets, which had been initiated in the early 1990s (‘yielding to globalization’, some of its adversaries say).

Another major effect of this ‘global’ phenomenon is in food habits of the people living in a place. It is during this second phase that the Indian market saw fast food giants like McDonalds, Pizza Hut etc. making their presence felt in India. This has again seen opposition in many fronts. Again, the opposition comes from the fact that these joints have tried to undo the traditional food habits of Indians (which are naturally healthier than these replacements).

One another problem often spoken about is how globalization has not done much to improve the condition of the poorer classes in the society. In fact, the effects of globalization are being seen even among the poorest of the people, but these effects are taking time to percolate through to the lower strata of the society. The reasons why these people have remained poor over the years have other causes (fingers can not be pointed at globalization). Maybe the ‘globalization chauvinists’ could learn a lesson or two from Marx and Lenin, so that an even distribution of the fruits of globalization is made.


The instances put forward indicate that there is no alternative to globalization for a country trying its hand at development. Globalization has in effect become the new world order, after the Cold War. The effects of globalization on the culture of a people should be learnt and necessary steps may be taken to reduce them. In this way, globalization may be nurtured with limited opposition, for the benefit of all.


*I have generously used ideas put forth in the following books – Identity and Violence (Amartya Sen), The Lexus and the Olive Tree (Thomas L Friedman), The Argumentative Indian (Amartya Sen)

*My ideas on this subject have been influenced by a large number of newspaper articles, which are too many to be individually mentioned.