In the midst of this most recent economic recession, Americans are beginning to wonder if globalization was the right strategy to adopt to help the country become the world’s most powerful nation. What benefits the multinational corporations is not necessarily good for the average Joes and Janes. With American jobs shipped overseas to cheap labor countries like China and India, thousands of Americans are out of work. And this is only the domestic face of globalization. Sure this flooded job market in the non-Western world helps to create a middle-class in Asia that has never been seen before, but the need for this cheap labor places many in horrible working conditions. Globalization is an idea committed to the Westernization of the entire world, forcing it, through economics, to respect the American way of life. Globalization also breeds resentment among developing countries and extremists who are suicidally devoted to their own way of life, and go to any measure to defend it. Look at what Western meddling has done to the Middle East. Terrorism is at its worst in years and we constantly hear of conflicts and humanitarian crises in Africa. These are all results of the ideology that Western ideals are the best, and they must be imposed everywhere. Whatever happened to preserving the cultures, languages, religions, and nations that makes humanity so interesting?
Perhaps one reason that globalization has created a Western hegemony of all trade is the fact that Western nations are directly invested in developing countries economies. According to Renato Ruggiero, “There can be no doubt that foreign direct investment has joined international trade as a primary motor of globalization.” (WTO Press Releases, 1996) At the end of 2007, US foreign investment totaled at $7.2 trillion, with $1.2 trillion of that spent in one fiscal year. (Scissors, 2009) The outstanding public debt of the United States as of September 24, 2009 is in excess of $11.8 trillion (Hall, 2009). How can we support globalization and foreign investment when our great nation falls so far into the red? Shouldn’t we be focusing on the worsening crisis at home? Almost 10% of Americans are out of work (US Department of Labor, 2009), and with America’s dwindling industrial base, thousands more stand to lose their jobs in the coming years. US companies continue to ship jobs overseas. Just look at the Detroit Three. At one time they were the biggest car manufacturers in the world, posting record profits quarter after quarter, but now they are practically bankrupt, struggling to find new marketing strategies and better designs, and cutting jobs to stay afloat. Anybody that pays any attention to current events can tell you what a sad state auto-manufacturing in America is in.
We in the US are able to avoid the terrible effects that poorer countries feel in such terrible debt, and we further leech off these third-world nations and eliminate any competition to drive the products they export in an upward trend, therefore upsetting entire economys in the name of capitalism. (Burgi & Golum, 2000) Take this latest US escapade, The War on Terror/The War in Iraq. On top of being very, very expensive to an American in peril, could be argued occurred with a sub-objective of controlling a large amount of oil in the Middle East. Politics are no longer ruled by common values and ideals, but by the power of global finance.
Globalization benefits rich countries, a modern age colonialism, while creating huminatarian crises in third world countries. It creates conflict between occupier and subject, and pits one group against another, often resulting in bloody struggles. To many, especially in the Middle East, this “globalization” is just an extension of the Western expansionism in the 19th century. Then, it was the British, colonizing and creating mercantilistic markets. The same has applied in modern times. The US is able to exploit many countries, sending them into conflict. (Hoffman, 2006) This creates a huge humanitarian crisis that further polarizes the differences between “rich” countries, like the US and the “poor” countries, like those in Africa.
As we worry about our financial futures, how do we justify the widespread globalization that America and the Western world has undertaken in the past 50 years? Globalization obviously causes a lot of trouble, both in the United States and internationally. Countries that are directly invested overseas seek to extend their influence, all in the name of free-market capitalism. In reality though, these investments can cause a loss of culture in developing nations and an unwanted Westernization in places that should be left alone. Conceivably, this American plan for globalization can ruin both our great nation and destroy hundreds of foreign economies.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Africa
With over 6.7 billion people inhabiting this earth, there stands to reason that the global community is riddled with conflict. The entire course of human history is rife with genocide, war, starvation, and injustice and the problems of today involve huge numbers of people. The real issue that never ceases to amaze me is the ongoing and rampant systematic killings of entire ethnic groups in Africa. Genocide, for that is the right word for it, has been repeated time and time again, and after each occurrence, we as responsible world citizens vow “Never Again”. A mere 10 years after the tragic and rapid mass murders of the Tutsis tribal members in Rwanda by the Hutu tribe, such killings are happening again in Darfur, an area in Sudan. In Somalia, just a few years after failed Western involvement, tensions between ethnic groups are again on the rise. War in the Congo, raging for almost 15 years, has already killed more people than WWII, and the death toll continues to rise. This turbulent atmosphere across practically the entire continent is largely unknown to many in America and the rest of the world, and it is from Western involvement in the “colonization” of Africa in the past that many of these conflicts have arisen.
I think it is important to examine some of the current conflicts ongoing in Africa, because to look at all the factors inherent in the fabric of warfare on the continent and all the past wars would take a very long time. Books have been written on tribal differences that have been responsible for literally thousands of years of warfare between certain ethnic groups, so I think it is more important for us, as responsible global citizens, to look towards resolution of current conflicts and try to help appease some of this ancient violence. Almost every single African nation has experienced warfare in some form within the past 100 years, often leading to heavy persecutions of civilians, assassinations of political figures, and unstable humanitarian conditions. Right now, there is violence in Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Nigeria, just to name a few. (Wikipedia.org, 2009) The decimation of tribesmen in Darfur in Sudan by government-backed militias has already led many nations to classify it as ”genocide” and it has left over 300,000 dead with millions more displaced. (BBC News, 2009) In Uganda, children are regularly pressed into military service, with violent indoctrination techniques and widespread drug and alcohol abuse used to incite young boys to kill. (Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, 2007) Nigeria has had very intense warfare over the five years, due to conflicts over natural resources; more specifically it’s vast oil reserves, and the incumbent wealth disparity among its people. (Al Jazeera, 2009) 45,000 people continue to die each month in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has involved seven other nations, vying to influence their own ideas into what the DRC could become. (Shah, 2008) This is only a short list of ongoing conflicts, and the unfortunate thing is that there are so many more that I have not listed. It is a sad fact that there are so many conflicts going on at the same time on the same continent and that they continue to get worse. If such violence was happening in Europe, it would be called World War III, and it certainly wouldn’t have lasted the decades that African hostilities have. It is impossible to estimate the amount of human casualties from this fighting but I’m sure it is in excess of the tens of millions, and that’s just on one single continent.
A few general factors that have contributed to this violent nature of a continent are such things like starvation, poverty, and tribal tensions. Also, with the advent of Western expansionism, European nations carved up Africa according to their divisions, and didn’t take into account the borders that had existed for millennia. Western nations attempted to exploit Africa for its natural resources, and to insure they got what they wanted, established countries set up puppet governments over their newly carved states. Poor management and corruption led many of these nations to crumble economically, which led to poverty, which almost always leads to conflict. With Europe weakened by WWII, it lost a lot of influence in Africa, and as the US and Soviet Union became the two biggest superpowers in the world, they too struggled for control of the continent. Also, in sub-Saharan Africa, there is religious conflict. There are Christians, Muslims, and countless other tribal and local beliefs, which is bound to create some trouble. When one group arms itself, another arms itself in response, and the US and other nations continue to supply weapons to the groups they back. (Shah, Conflicts in Africa - An Introduction, 2009)
However, even given its rocky past and present, the world community needs to embrace Africa, and the only way to do that is through knowledge and awareness. It is the cradle of civilization and has some of the most beautiful land in the world. It has literally hundreds of different cultures, languages, and tribes, which makes it the most interesting place anthropologically. I feel that Africa is a cause to fight for, no longer using violence, but through the knowledge by the general world of the atrocities committed on a daily basis. It affects the entire world, as Africa has become a haven for extremists and “terrorists”. Look at Somalia. Pirates regularly hijack ships, holding Westerners for ransom and funding further piracy through the plunder. This problem has to be addressed at its source, and by stabilizing governments and populations maybe peace can finally be achieved. It is up to us to turn the public eye back to Africa and pressure the international community to finally help.
Bibliography
Al Jazeera. (2009, June 9). Poor miss out on Nigerian oil riches. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from Al Jazeera: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/06/200969602685686
BBC News. (2009, October 30). Africa backs Darfur crimes court. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8333531.stm
Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. (2007). Some Facts. Retrieved October 28, 2009, from Child-Soldiers.org: http://www.child- soldiers.org/childsoldiers/some-facts
Shah, A. (2009, January 3). Conflicts in Africa - An Introduction. Retrieved Nov 1, 2009, from Global Issues: http://www.globalissues.org/article/84/conflicts- in-africa-introduction
Shah, A. (2008, March 27). The Democratic Republic of Congo. Retrieved October 28, 2009, from Global Issues: http://www.globalissues.org/article/87/the- democratic-republic-of-congo
Wikipedia.org. (2009, October 16). List of African Conflicts. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from Wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conflicts_in_Africa
I think it is important to examine some of the current conflicts ongoing in Africa, because to look at all the factors inherent in the fabric of warfare on the continent and all the past wars would take a very long time. Books have been written on tribal differences that have been responsible for literally thousands of years of warfare between certain ethnic groups, so I think it is more important for us, as responsible global citizens, to look towards resolution of current conflicts and try to help appease some of this ancient violence. Almost every single African nation has experienced warfare in some form within the past 100 years, often leading to heavy persecutions of civilians, assassinations of political figures, and unstable humanitarian conditions. Right now, there is violence in Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Nigeria, just to name a few. (Wikipedia.org, 2009) The decimation of tribesmen in Darfur in Sudan by government-backed militias has already led many nations to classify it as ”genocide” and it has left over 300,000 dead with millions more displaced. (BBC News, 2009) In Uganda, children are regularly pressed into military service, with violent indoctrination techniques and widespread drug and alcohol abuse used to incite young boys to kill. (Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, 2007) Nigeria has had very intense warfare over the five years, due to conflicts over natural resources; more specifically it’s vast oil reserves, and the incumbent wealth disparity among its people. (Al Jazeera, 2009) 45,000 people continue to die each month in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has involved seven other nations, vying to influence their own ideas into what the DRC could become. (Shah, 2008) This is only a short list of ongoing conflicts, and the unfortunate thing is that there are so many more that I have not listed. It is a sad fact that there are so many conflicts going on at the same time on the same continent and that they continue to get worse. If such violence was happening in Europe, it would be called World War III, and it certainly wouldn’t have lasted the decades that African hostilities have. It is impossible to estimate the amount of human casualties from this fighting but I’m sure it is in excess of the tens of millions, and that’s just on one single continent.
A few general factors that have contributed to this violent nature of a continent are such things like starvation, poverty, and tribal tensions. Also, with the advent of Western expansionism, European nations carved up Africa according to their divisions, and didn’t take into account the borders that had existed for millennia. Western nations attempted to exploit Africa for its natural resources, and to insure they got what they wanted, established countries set up puppet governments over their newly carved states. Poor management and corruption led many of these nations to crumble economically, which led to poverty, which almost always leads to conflict. With Europe weakened by WWII, it lost a lot of influence in Africa, and as the US and Soviet Union became the two biggest superpowers in the world, they too struggled for control of the continent. Also, in sub-Saharan Africa, there is religious conflict. There are Christians, Muslims, and countless other tribal and local beliefs, which is bound to create some trouble. When one group arms itself, another arms itself in response, and the US and other nations continue to supply weapons to the groups they back. (Shah, Conflicts in Africa - An Introduction, 2009)
However, even given its rocky past and present, the world community needs to embrace Africa, and the only way to do that is through knowledge and awareness. It is the cradle of civilization and has some of the most beautiful land in the world. It has literally hundreds of different cultures, languages, and tribes, which makes it the most interesting place anthropologically. I feel that Africa is a cause to fight for, no longer using violence, but through the knowledge by the general world of the atrocities committed on a daily basis. It affects the entire world, as Africa has become a haven for extremists and “terrorists”. Look at Somalia. Pirates regularly hijack ships, holding Westerners for ransom and funding further piracy through the plunder. This problem has to be addressed at its source, and by stabilizing governments and populations maybe peace can finally be achieved. It is up to us to turn the public eye back to Africa and pressure the international community to finally help.
Bibliography
Al Jazeera. (2009, June 9). Poor miss out on Nigerian oil riches. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from Al Jazeera: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/06/200969602685686
BBC News. (2009, October 30). Africa backs Darfur crimes court. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8333531.stm
Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. (2007). Some Facts. Retrieved October 28, 2009, from Child-Soldiers.org: http://www.child- soldiers.org/childsoldiers/some-facts
Shah, A. (2009, January 3). Conflicts in Africa - An Introduction. Retrieved Nov 1, 2009, from Global Issues: http://www.globalissues.org/article/84/conflicts- in-africa-introduction
Shah, A. (2008, March 27). The Democratic Republic of Congo. Retrieved October 28, 2009, from Global Issues: http://www.globalissues.org/article/87/the- democratic-republic-of-congo
Wikipedia.org. (2009, October 16). List of African Conflicts. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from Wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conflicts_in_Africa
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Liberate Yourself
Today, I finally freed myself from the deception that had been controlling my life. Long have I been trying to eliminate the things that caused me frustration, grief, and anger because I had finally realized that the negative actions stimulated even worse reactions. At some points throughout the last few years, that negative energy carried me like a violent set of rapids, smashing me against the rocks of consequence, responsibility, and conflict. I was a capable avoider of responsibility, able to steer my raft of lies at will, away from the things i did not want to do. I lied to my parents, my teachers, my friends, but most of all, I lied to myself. After some deep soul searching, I understood why my ride had been so rocky and perilous and by being honest, resolved to float along in calm water for a while. This entailed listing my many transgressions to my parents in a rational, collected conversation intended to help them understand the motives behind my decisions and the confidence I have gained in my ability to handle myself in the future.
After this conversation, i felt free. My parental units and I had both acted in a logical manner, listening to each other's viewpoints and using both sides to form the most cooperative solution. My parents saw me not as a child, but as an adult with valid arguments to be considered. This is freedom. This is independence.
Liberate yourself.
The Buddha said "Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace."
This echoes my recent experience. Instead of setting myself against authority, I did my part in a collected manner to change it, and the respect I earned is much more meaningful now than it was before.
Peace reigns in my household. Issues that used to become shouting matches have finally been resolved and perhaps I can remove one more source of frustration from my world.
True understanding of one's self requires honesty and compassion. Life is too short to bicker, and humanity's greatest problems require our full attention. Those who judge us are not worth worrying about. They are the ones that will be left behind in the coming revolution. Open minds and communication will get us farther than open flames and aggravation.
Liberate yourself.
Embrace compassion, relinquish anger. Instead of confrontation, use conversation. Honesty becomes trust, trust becomes understanding, and understanding is the instrument of the illuminated World Citizen. Know your enemy, your friends, and yourself, and we cannot lose.
Liberate yourself from ignorance. Liberate yourself from intolerance. Liberate yourself from control. Liberate yourself from fear. Liberate yourself from greed. Liberate yourself from anger.
Liberate yourself just so that you may be free.
KarmicFuture
After this conversation, i felt free. My parental units and I had both acted in a logical manner, listening to each other's viewpoints and using both sides to form the most cooperative solution. My parents saw me not as a child, but as an adult with valid arguments to be considered. This is freedom. This is independence.
Liberate yourself.
The Buddha said "Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace."
This echoes my recent experience. Instead of setting myself against authority, I did my part in a collected manner to change it, and the respect I earned is much more meaningful now than it was before.
Peace reigns in my household. Issues that used to become shouting matches have finally been resolved and perhaps I can remove one more source of frustration from my world.
True understanding of one's self requires honesty and compassion. Life is too short to bicker, and humanity's greatest problems require our full attention. Those who judge us are not worth worrying about. They are the ones that will be left behind in the coming revolution. Open minds and communication will get us farther than open flames and aggravation.
Liberate yourself.
Embrace compassion, relinquish anger. Instead of confrontation, use conversation. Honesty becomes trust, trust becomes understanding, and understanding is the instrument of the illuminated World Citizen. Know your enemy, your friends, and yourself, and we cannot lose.
Liberate yourself from ignorance. Liberate yourself from intolerance. Liberate yourself from control. Liberate yourself from fear. Liberate yourself from greed. Liberate yourself from anger.
Liberate yourself just so that you may be free.
KarmicFuture
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