Globalization and citizenship

Abstract

"The end of the twentieth century is marked by conflicting trends of integration and disintegration. The expansion of world markets draws more people than ever before into a closely integrated world economy; but this same process increases the gap between rich and poor, and strengthens a dangerous tendency toward polarization and exclusion. Advances in telecommunications technology offer unprecedented possibilities to increase dialogue and pursue common goals, but they also play a role in exacerbating cultural conflict. The collapse of the Soviet bloc provides new opportunities for international co-operation, while creating a complex field of political and social reorganization with menacing undercurrents of deprivation and xenophobia. There is a need for a new world order, just as there was in the aftermath of the First World War, at the founding of the League of Nations, and following the Second World War, when the United Nations was created. These institutions (and the specialized agencies surrounding them) have been the cornerstones of efforts to expand the boundaries of international community — to create standards of humane conduct, to facilitate the reasoned resolution of conflict, and to protect the elemental rights of people around the world. Progress has been made toward the creation of an international community: a combination of ethical commitment, practical political necessity and the remarkable effects of technological change has forged a clear consciousness of some “global” problems and facilitated an unprecedented range of international initiatives to resolve them. National governments routinely meet in a range of fora whose importance should not be underestimated. And there is an international civil society in the making that far surpasses any earlier counterpart in its extensiveness and capacity to mobilize around certain issues. Particularly in the field of the environment, concern for “our global future” creates worldwide networks of co-operation. Yet as some areas of community are broadening at the end of the twentieth century, others are narrowing sharply. In the current context of global economic restructuring, fierce competition for markets and jobs is reducing the scope for organized defense of common interests and weakening the capacity of public authorities to meet their responsibilities to constituents. Commitments to provide for the least fortunate and to protect the environment, as well as other common projects to improve the quality of life in particular communities, fall victim to the requirements of tax reduction, “downsizing” and ensuring the availability of lower-cost labour. At the same time, the uncertainties and dislocations associated with economic and political reform affect existing structures of identity, creating or reviving relatively narrow definitions of solidarity, often based on ethnic or religious grounds. Intolerance is on the rise, as some existing nations or confederations break into ever-more-exclusive segments. Not surprisingly, current debates on international security, national social policy, and human development are marked by a common concern with devising new ways to ensure that trends toward fragmentation and retrenchment are offset by opportunities to strengthen a broader sense of community."(pg 5)