Globalization
People around the globe are more connected to each other than ever before. Information and money flow more quickly than ever. Goods and services produced in one part of the world are increasingly available in all parts of the world. International travel is more frequent. International communication is commonplace. This phenomenon has been titled “globalization.” “The Era of Globalization” is fast becoming the preferred term for describing the current times. Just as the Depression, the Cold War Era, the Space Age, and the Roaring 20’s are used to describe particular periods of history; globalization describes the political, economic, and cultural atmosphere of today. While some people think of globalization as primarily a synonym for global business, it is much more than that. The same forces that allow businesses to operate as if national borders did not exist also allow social activists, labor organizers, journalists, academics, and many others to work on a global stage.
Globalization happens to be the modern stage of civilization maturing. It means expanding of international relations, economic co-operation of countries, implementation of new technologies, common standards of life, homogeneous mass culture and ideologies. Motive forces of this process there are the usual human needs, such as leadership, greed, imitation, curiosity characteristic also for countries and transnational corporations. Like in everything, there are some pluses and minuses in the globalization. 1. The world economic system, provided with plenty of international agreements, promotes exchange of goods and capital between countries and accelerates the maturing of poor countries. 2. The same is true about science and technique: trade, communication systems, transnational corporations, patents, Internet distribute modern technologies throughout the world. 3. The same processes affect politics: all countries are inclined to democracy and civil rights. Though it is not always true but the tendency is sure to exist. 4. UN is happened to be a consolidating force. It renders and coordinates the humanitarian aid, influences (together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) the development processes in emerging markets and poor countries.
5. The countries with similar economic systems and ideologies strive for deep integration. (EC). 6. There considerably increased the international migration. Scientists look for better research conditions, sportsmen and artists – for money and fame and the poor and unemployed people look for work and earnings. 7. Culture and sport. There observed throughout the world the distribution of news, pop-music, Hollywood films, fashion, English language, educational standards and Internet. Development of the international tourism and business trips grows very fast. 8. Ecology intends to become the part of “humanity morals”. In general, the globalization promotes distribution of humanism, equality, education and struggle against poverty. Unfortunately, not all is as happy as it seems to be. Below is the list of bad consequences of globalization: The globalization has not stopped, but even increased the country stratification: the rich, the powerful and the clever move up into first place. Those, which have not managed to penetrate into world trade and finances, are destined to lag behind. All CIS countries belong to this number. Alas! Professionalism has grown to be evaluated greatly and unemployment among unqualified workers has increased. As a result, there grown inequality in labour market, which generated poverty and instability in the society. Transnational corporations are getting larger, exceeding sometimes even some country’s budget and are turning into world monopolists. Furthermore, globalization brings some direct threats. For example, financial collapse in a certain country may quickly spread throughout the world, as it was in 1998-1999. Correspondingly, tens of million of people are happened to be poor and countries might lose their political stability (Indonesia, 1997). The international trade and financial relations happened to be used by criminals for drug traffic and weapon trade, as well as to serve as concealment for political terrorists. The low-grad Hollywood products and pop- music force national culture out and even threats to originality of peoples. At the same time it decreases people’s morals and promotes delinquency rise. It is even written, that travel boom might promote distribution of epidemics… However, in spite of all, globalization is happened to be more useful than harmful. The point is that it still exists, it develops and it is impossible to be stopped. So, one needs to use its advantages and try to eliminate its deficiency