From this point, no return
the Necessity of Sustaining Globalization
lobalization
is rapidly changing our world. But then, everybody already knows that.
What people don't seem to realize is that this change is
nothing new. Most people seem to think that globalization just started
happening... maybe in the late '70s. But indeed, depending on how you define it,
globalization has been going on for a long, long time. Free trade is certainly
nothing new: Britain was well into debating it when Sherlock Holmes was hard at work
solving Sir Henry Baskerville's mystery.
The Oxford
English Dictionary, which lists usage examples for every word in its vast
volumes, records the first use of the word globalized in an issue of
The Economist from 1959: "Italy's 'globalised quota' for imports of
cars has been increased." Its definition is short and to the point: "to render
global;" and globalization is "the act of globalizing." Webster first
listed globalism and globalization in his dictionary in 1961. We
assume this word and this definition in the site. But the concept and the
phenomenon stretches back far beyond that.
But this site is not so concerned with where globalization
has been as where it is going. We look at three very different visions of the
trajectory globalization is likely to take over the next century. First, the
idea embraced by the idealists: that globalization is the logical destiny of
mankind, and that despite any setbacks it may encounter, it will ultimately
prevail. Second are the realists: men like Tom Friedman, who don't argue that
globalization is humanity's destiny, but instead embrace it simply for what it
is. Finally, we review the doomsayers: that globalization could very well be
stopped or reversed, and that it has, indeed, already once occurred.
Having examined these three dimensions of the debate, we add
a fourth: post-September 11, how does terrorism figure into the picture? The
problem becomes much more complex indeed.
This site uses MLA-style parenthetical
references. The Works Cited page (available from the base of every page)
includes a mixed list of all the works referenced on the site, as well as an
additional recommended reading list. Finally, if necessary, please choose the site tools
link at the bottom of this page to upgrade your browser to properly display
these pages.
Rochester, New York
May 2002
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