Globalization Curse or Cure?-Globalization The Hopes and Fears

IN December 1999, a meeting of the World Trade Organization held in Seattle, U.S.A., was interrupted by a riot. Police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray to restore order. Finally, they arrested hundreds of protesters. 

What provoked the so-called Battle of Seattle?  A whole litany of concerns about job security, the environment, and social injustice. However, to put it simply, the demonstrators  feared globalization-its effect on people and on the planet. 

Their fears have not abated.  Since 1999, antiglobalization demonstrations have escalated in size and intensity.  In some cases, world leaders now endeavor to hold their summits in isolated areas where protesters will be hard-pressed to disrupt the proceedings. 

Not everyone, of course, sees globalization as a threat. While some condemn it as the mother of the world's ills, others hail it as the panacea for the most of the world's problems. True, this ongoing  debate may seem irrelevant to the majority of mankind, many of whom have only a hazy idea of what globalization is all about.  But whatever your viewpoint, globalization does affect you already, and it will probably affect you even more in the future.

Next time: What Exactly is Globalization?

From the Awake! magazine, 2002