Is Globalization a Good Thing?

According to the Chicago Council Poll on Foreign Policy of 2021, 68% of Americans say that Globalization is mostly good for the US. This number represents an all time high for the support of globalist practices, but it doesn’t recognize the whole story. Despite Globalization’s impressive accomplishments in improving quality of life, through increased economic activity and interconnectedness, this is not the case for all communities. One can easily argue that globalization has caused just as many problems as opportunities, through the example of increased terrorism, crime, and environmental degradation. But this argument also fails to address everything that globalization contributes to life as we know it. In this blog post, I will argue that without the sunny side of globalization, life as we know it would disappear, and therefore globalization, on the whole, is a beneficial force in our lives. 

Firstly, one can regard globalization as beneficial because it strengthens the economy. As we discussed in class, world trade has increased 30% since the 1960s, resulting in a massive growth in global GDP. Because trade has exploded, citizens across the globe now have access to many products that they would not otherwise have. For instance, Foer’s book, How Soccer Explains the World, highlights how the spread of the soccer ball has allowed countries across the world to enjoy the sport. The growth of the economy has not just benefitted those at the top, but provided products to even the farthest corners of the globe. Increased financial flows across borders, including the outsourcing of jobs abroad and the development of horizontal supply chains have brought jobs abroad and given foreign entities the chance to compete globally. The unparalleled economic possibilities brought about by globalization cannot be denied. Globalization is also beneficial because of the increased interconnectedness between countries it has provided. In part because of improvements in technology and in part because of the growing relationships between countries, the ease of interaction globally has never been so smooth. Whether it be by physical movement or through online communication, globalization has allowed people everywhere to connect, discuss issues, and formulate solutions. This increase in interconnectedness has caused deterritorialization, where territory and distance become less relevant and anyone, no matter where they are, can connect with others. This has led to the growth of the digital space, as global internet users have increased from 0 in 1990 to 1.5 billion in 2008. 

However, these benefits might be outweighed by the darker side of globalization. As our global population has become exponentially more connected, we begin to see the consequences globalization may have. Increased crime rates and instances of terrorism, as well as environmental degradation and the spread of disease and crisis beg the question; ‘does globalization make these problems bigger?’ In terms of crime and terrorism, it is evident, through the example of recent events, that violence is increasing. Every year, there seems to be more arms, more drugs, more slavery, more terrorist acts, and the list goes on. For example, in Foer’s book, How Soccer Explains the World, we can see the example of increased violence in the example of the Celtic-Rangers harsh practices of “religious bigotry,” the Serbian assertion that, “this is not soccer, this is war,” and Brazil’s corrupt team structure. (Foer 39, 27, 126) Clearly, globalization is not just a connective force, but has its downsides in motivating conflict between countries. Additionally, environmental degradation and exploitation have proved to be a major consequence of increased economic activity from globalization. As companies find it easier to outsource labor and production into poorer countries, we find more and more evidence of the externalization of environmental costs into these areas. This means that as the world becomes increasingly connected, it presents the opportunity for companies to take their pollution elsewhere, to places where they will not be forced to take responsibility for it because of a lack of restrictions. Essentially, Globalization makes it possible for companies to skirt environmental regulations and effectively exploit our natural world. Finally, although interconnectedness has been extremely important for the establishment of international institutions and communication channels, it can also mean that ‘disease,’ whether literal or figurative, can spread much more quickly. The recent Covid-19 pandemic has shed light on this issue, as it has become unavoidable for countries to face the consequences of a virus in a completely globally connected world. In addition, other crises have become much more likely to spread as a result of globalization, including but not limited to financial crises and disrupted supply chains. Clearly, there are many issues with globalization as we know it.

Undoubtedly, Globalization changes everything. Increased trade and economic activity has brought massive gains in the quality of life for some, but this increasing power of corporations and private economic actors also has negative effects on some communities more than others. The resulting inequality has sparked the deterioration of the environment in some cases, a higher susceptibility to global pandemics and other crises, as well as an increase in crime and terrorism globally. One cannot deny the dark side of globalization, but also cannot doubt that without the sunny side, our lives would be completely different than they are today. It is for this reason that I argue the case for globalization, because without it, nothing would be the same.