Two Views of Globalization
Jennifer Garner
According to Robert Wright's article, globalization is not a new element in society--it developed just as communication and transportation began to advance, and as these two elements grew, globalization spread. It is compared to Manifest Destiny, except on a global scale and involving economics and politics, as opposed to the "blessing of God". However, Wright says that globalization basically attacked itself on September 11, 2001, because the products of globalization, such as cell phones, the internet, etcetera were used in staging the hijacking of the planes, and it is not the first time that technological advancements have yielded negative results in globalization.
In addition, Wright talks about the idea of a nonzero-sum relationship, in that both parties involved can experience a profit or a loss, and this outcome is determined by the relationship of those two parties. Therefore, there is a need to be tolerant of one and other, otherwise, globalization will fail. I found this article interesting because it made connections between current events and historical events and showed their relevance. The second article, written by Robert Samuelson, discusses the uncertainty the war with Iraq presents for the future of globalization. Globalization in the past has seemed invincible, but fell and brought devastating results to the entire world in the Great Depression. Samuelson says that economic confidence and political stability are necessary in order for commerce to be successful, and suggests two possible outcomes for globalization after the war.
I did not like that this article had no solid conclusion. It made two suggestions in the body but the author made no strong argument showing support for one theory.