A WIDE CANVAS
WAVES OF GLOBALISATION
Globalisation is a familiar term to most of us. And by it, most of us understand the process of global economic integration that has been sweeping the world since the 90s. In 2000, the IMF noted four features as characterising globalisation:
- trade and related transactions across national borders
- capital and investment flows
- cross-border migration and movement of people
- dissemination of knowledge.
What is actually taking place is the imposition of a single world view, and the displacement of local lifestyles and variety- in fact, imposition of "mono cultures" of the mind, as Vandana Shiva said.In the guise of dissemination of 'knowledge', one dominant thought, that of the capitalist goons of the West, is promoted as the only sound and valid foundation of existence on earth, encompassing all aspects of life. The spread of the ugly departmental store, killing the small local shopkeeper; marketing of branded items all over the world (KFC, Coke, Pepsi etc) displacing local items, the promotion of western fashion even among young women, the spread of huge international corporations with local govt support, and the freedom given to them to exploit and market local resources like water, unrestricted market access to unnecessary items of frivolous consumption, promotion of GM crops and other agenda of world agri-business cartels which seriously jeopardise our food security and threaten the future of our agriculturists, the promotion of the same type of entertainment through the media,
Shakira in Rock in Rio
by Original Upload to www.arteyfotographic.com as Shakira Rock in Rio 08.001 by Andreas.
the deteriorating enviroment, etc are but the outward symbols of this vulgar globalisation.
Forest burning in Brazil. The land thus released will be given to some MNC for cattle ranching, displacing local communities, and disrupting their living.
NASA picture.
The official pundits, employed by the govt and its auxiliary bodies like the academia, who all survive on public tax revenue, are paid to sing its praises. The more thoughtful among them, and those with more independent approaches criticise it vehemently. Joseph Stiglitz ,recipient of the Nobel memorial prize and one associated with international bodies has even come with a detailed critique in his book, with the title"Globalization and its Discontents". While his criticism is based on economic arguments, and the effects of the process on developing economies and the poor, his strongest point that would appeal to a non-economist observer is that globalisation is "global governance without global government". Bodies like IMF, World Bank, WTO advise and impose their policies on countries; and when they go wrong- as they have often gone wrong- what is their responsibility? These are bodies which are not transparent in their working, not answerable to any govt or people; their executives continue to draw huge tax-free salaries, even as the countries reel due to their policies! This is indeed power without responsibility!
We may add that all these bodies are handmaids of the US in its global hegemony!
This is but the latest instance of globalisation. There have been others in the past.Perhaps the earliest cross-border phenomenon was the way Buddhism spread from India! Trade and commerce were well known and practised in the world even then; conquerors like Alexander had attempted to create huge empires.
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CC BY-SA 3.0
But these were empires of the world, and fell with the times. What Buddhism established was a huge empire of the mind and heart, over various people, and without engaging in war! People speak of so many inanimate things as wonders of the world. The non-violent spread of Buddhism is the only enduring, real wonder of the ancient world!
Map showing the spread of Buddhism along the Silk Route. It flourished everywhere till the area was conquered by Ghengis Khan in 1227 AD.
From idp.bl.uk/4DCGI/education/Buddhism_pack/sheet1html
Buddhism has held on to every country, but it is threatened by Islam and Christianity alike.In Tibet, it was crushed by the Chinese.Over 8 million Buddhists were killed by Muslim invaders in India, who also killed thousands of their monks, destroyed their monasteries and Nalanda. Pope John Paul II named, in 1999, Buddhists as targets for conversion in Asia in this millennium.
Christianity and Islam, both with their proselytising zeal spread rapidly. Christianity started as a small group of Jews, but under the Apostles soon broke away from them. Initially, it was a small sect, with no state patronage. But once it was accepted by the Roman emperor, it soon spread, suppressing all previous religions. It faced numerous divisions and schisms within and dealt with the dissenters brutally as heretics. While Roman Catholics wielded considerable wealth and influence, the other groups also flourished and together, they spread to all parts of the globe, aided by the geographical expansion, colonies and commerce. Those with a liberal, modern and science education are increasingly drawing away from it in Europe and America; consequently Christian churches and organisations are focusing to 'harvest souls' ( ie convert) in Asia.
Islam spread very fast under a century after the death of Mohammad. It was not a mild missionary activity like that of the early Christians, aided by stories of personal piety of the Saints and their miracles. Islam resorted to open war and conquest.
This map shows how Islam spread between 622 and 750, in three phases.
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons.
The Muslims occupied the holy lands of the Christians, took away large areas from the Western Roman empire (Byzantium). They took Iberia (Spain and Portugal) in 711. The Hispanics had to fight for over 780 years to get rid of the Muslims finally from those areas in 1492.The Christians fought for over 200 years from 1091 to regain control, but eventually failed. Fall of Constantinople in 1453 was the final seal on their failure. Since then, they have been facing each other in Europe.
The interesting fact is that Muslims have reentered all the areas of Western Europe as refugees after World War II and are today posing a threat to every European nation! They are making no secret of their intention to Islamise Europe!
The Spaniards and Portuguese turned to South America in the wake of their problems in Europe and wholly colonised it, killing millions of native people and converting the rest, and totally destroying the native civilisations and looting their wealth- all in the name of and for the glory of Christ and God! England and France turned to North America and established their domain there, cheating the natives of their land, killing millions, and confining the rest to reservations. And they celebrated their own independence from England!
Their story in Asia, including India, is one of Muslim political conquest and rule, and the Christian colonisation through trade, intrigue and eventual political conquest and rule.
Unlike the Muslim conquest, the European conquest coincided with revolutionary changes in European intellectual climate and led to the modern era. India and other colonies were dragged into this, though largely on European terms. The native cultures were not brutally destroyed as by the Muslims, but were undermined with cumulative strength through the force of ideas, imposition of new institutions and relentless exposure to intellectual subjugation through education, administration, commerce.
This is nothing short of another type of globalisation! Indian intelligentsia is totally attuned to the forces of the present globalisation because they have been exposed to these ideas gradually for over a century! Whether capitalism or communism, both are off-shoots of the same trunk of classical economics! And present-day globalisation claims to be but based on Free enterprise of Adam Smith! This is an absolute canard as the blatant crony capitalism of the present day and domination of a few MNCs over all aspects of our life- not just economic- are a total travesty free enterprise. The present phase is based on vulgar greed, while Smith's system was based on enlightened self-interest, working for the advantage of all. Even elected govts have to dance to their tunes!
In the purely intellectual spheres- such as academics, science and technology- the trends are unmistakably global, primarily American. In the final analysis, we face the forces of globalisation in three concentrated forms:
- the current economic globalisation, with the attendant need to eventually adjust to all Western (American) demands and threats.
- the proselytising missionary activities of the Christian groups, many in the garb of NGOs
- the forces of global Islamisation- both in the mild and violent varieties. Islam is inherently expansionist and it is expanding: it is the fastest growing faith or religion in the world. As Samuel Huntington said, the danger faced by us is "not Islamic fundamentalism, it is Islam."
Any one of these or all of them taken together pose a threat to our very civilisation. And we face all of them right now!
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