A demonstration like no other in Seattle last fall had two results. It paused the World Trade Organization and reintroduced the issue of globalization to the political scene. America today has a very healthy economy. Very low unemployment rates. Stock markets soaring with new highs nearly every day. Although many economist are arguing contrarily to whats factual. Some economist believe that our economy is entering a new stage of Capitalism where the old rules no longer apply.
Economist believe that this new stage of globalization of all nations is increasingly being nurtured by the computer and above all by the Internet. Global political and economic mutual action is a new topic. As far as the 15th century, countries combined and made worldwide empires in which almost everything flowed smoothly. In the 1900s the percentage of foreign born in the US was 14% compared to what it is today at only 8%. Most of American growth was financed by Europeans and unpaid loans were plenty. Today the prospects of globalization are far from reality.
The recent World Trade Organization can vouch for that due to their un-collaborating disputes. For example, the war between the US and Europe over genetically enhanced resources is a long time issue that hasnt been resolved. To get down on a cultural level, many local cultures are in opposition to American domination. In times of war the economy was torn apart but after war there was a sudden urge of self-sufficiency aided by the President. It seemed to have a momentum of its own. It reintroduced the fact that globalization is not new and that its far from irresistible.
Could globalization be desirable? Perhaps, as most critics argue that it is a re-run of earlier control by one power, with the US being the one overwhelming power and the internet being the instrument of choice. For many nations there is high costs to join world economy and as for local economies, they are torn by the changes of international markets. Globalization is an enemy of democracy, mostly in underdeveloped nations. No matter who the nation elects to power, they will always be helpless under the ruling principle of the international marketplace.
The free market is un-stabilizing both economically and socially. a primary negative result of globalization has been to increase disparity of distribution, both on a world scale and within nations. There are rising inequalities throughout countries, among firms and among individuals. The inequalities are even more obtrusive internationally. Globalization is sealing the gap between rich and poor nations and increasing American domination of the worlds economic and cultural markets.
There are statistics that show that in 1985 the average income for each person in the richest country was 76 times that of the poorest and in 1997 it was 228 times greater. In Seattle there have been critics that have argued that highly paid workers are being concerned exclusively with themselves to object the attempt of workers in poor nations to better their work conditions. Yet workers in developing nations really dont have that choice as how they work and really have no intentions to challenge their work conditions.
Other bad results of globalization is that economic growth has always interfered with the environment. Soon economic growth will make environmental protections possible yet there is a race between protection and growth. Plagues have also accompanied globalization by its speed of travel. Makes bacteria and viruses much more likely to travel from nation to nation. Introducing them to new nations through the ease of transportation brought by globalization. Terrorism also affects the world and has created the greatest problem of nations losing the ability to control their own matters in the vast global economy.
With in this large world economy, nations have a long way to go before a global economy can be achieved. To support it we need a global society. Countries in Europe are working toward that step by merging national economies into a larger European Union. The World Trade Organization have already set the issues on the table, I believe it marks the beginning to work toward solutions to correcting all these problems within nations and within our own country if they can ever collaborate and do their jobs.