The Rapid Development and Broadening of the Interconnectedness among the Worldwide Nations - Term Paper Example

Contemporary Globalization Tropic of Chaos In the twentieth-century, globalization has become more apparent, and is benefiting the nations to improveeconomies, regardless of their culture, economic status or any geographical distinction. The realization of the fact that it affects the nations, positively as well as adversely, is essential for facing the crisis and to mitigate the impacts it creates. Literally, the term globalization signifies the rapid development and broadening of the interconnectedness among the worldwide nations, influencing the cultural, political, financial and environmental aspects of a country. However, contemporary globalization marks a critical shift among the nations by bringing the society and its forces into greater proximity to one another. In the Tropic of Chaos, Christian Parenti sheds lights on a new dimension regarding the impact of the increased globalization in the face of climatic changes. He analyzes how the extreme weather had bred to humanitarian crisis, state failure and banditry, ultimately accumulating for a greater catastrophe among the nations. In this paper, we shall analyze the contemporary globalization of Mexico and how it has been influenced by the extreme weather changes and other external forces. Mexico has been a rapidly developing economy from the beginning of the twentieth-century, marked by its progressive changes in the economic and sociopolitical components. The economic and political significance of the country places it at a remarkable spot in the global sphere. Therefore it is important for the country to gain knowledge about the opportunities and potential drawbacks that globalization would bring into its economy. “Cutting agricultural subsidies, democratization, and giving poor countries a place at the table at trade negotiations are all steps in the right direction.” (Rivoli 256). It could be evident that globalization affects different social sectors of Mexico differently, causing economic, financial, political and environmental disturbances to the nation. The local responses, to these forces of globalization in Mexico, particularly the business and agricultural sectors, cause the major changes to its economy, consequently, facilitating or sustaining the nation’s development globally. Critics have pointed out that the contemporary globalization “puts jobs and communities at risk in the rich countries and exploits cheap labor in the poorer countries; increases threats to the environment; and undermines the foundations of democracy and social stability by subjecting national political institutions to forces of economic change beyond their control.” (Fitzgerald 126). After joining the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, the country’s foreign investment has grown rapidly, paving way for its successful incorporation into the global economy. The increasing globalization, free markets, foreign investments and private enterprises has been the driving force behind the prosperity and development of Mexico among the world nations. Furthermore, new economic reforms engendered in the past decades brought about open economy and strengthened the business community. The country also has a sophisticated economic system with its agricultural, industrial and service sectors contributing a major part to its overall economy. The rich natural oil resources, particularly the petroleum and natural gas industry, have made the country as the leading oil producers in the world. On the political front, the nation has a remarkable progress in its structure of democratization and pluralism, setting the stage for a strong civil society with successfully expanding civil liberties and political rights. Moreover, its significant reforms in establishing autonomy of its pivotal institutions contributed to its stability while its reforms for decentralization led to federalism and empowered the states. According to Parenti’s conceptual analysis of globalization and weather change, he proposes how the human-induced climate change and catastrophes can exacerbate the terrible conditions in a country’s economy. Though drought and flood in Mexican soil had caused major destruction, the real devastation could be viewed in the aftermaths, when the displaced population met directly with the social and political forces of globalization. “The crisis of natural systems becomes a crisis of urban violence and border repression.” (Parenti 188). The Mexican state is being driven away by the environmental changes like the droughts, hurricanes and algae blooms, leading to migrations of its people into the nearby countries. Furthermore, owing to the lure of industrialization, the country and its people are pulled into the vertex of border politics and migration, by the external forces of globalization. Thus the catastrophic convergence that unfolds in Mexico has been directly linked with the climatic change, militarized US border, country’s economic status, social violence and migration. The impacts of globalization can be evaluated well with the trajectory of US-Mexican relations. The mobility of labor and migration are significant global aspects that are needed to be considered regarding globalization and its effects on Mexico. As there are millions of immigrants settled in US and Mexico, they bring economic incentives to both the nations. From the US perspective, the businesses tend to utilize the cross-border commerce with the readily available cheap labor source, while the Mexico is benefitted by the revenue sources attained from its foreign exchange remittances. These economic gains at both the ends make the immigration practices and militarized border control to be obsolete. “It is clear that increasing interactions between the United States and Mexico challenge the rigidity of the pre-globalization mentality of neatly divided borders and exclusive control of sovereigns over the mobility of their citizens across these borders.” (Wiarda 218). A deeper analysis of social change in Mexican history offers a clear picture of how the nation has been exploited by the foreign powers in the contemporary period. Particularly, the War on Drugs, initiated by the US has a major impact on the country’s social life. As Mexico became a transshipment point for the import of illicit drugs, especially to United States, it rapidly influenced the narcotics trade contributing to a major share of drugs entering the US markets. Since the free trade NAFTA agreement between United States and Mexico has been economically favoring the countries to a greater level, declining the policies would bring economic breakdown to both the countries. On the flip side, the free trade has helped the drug lords to deal with the trade extensively, by exploiting the cross-border commerce. Parenti has pointed out the fact that NAFTA has facilitated narco-trafficking in the country and the drug networks have taken the free trade policies and unrestricted cross-border inspections to their advantage. However, the free trade has also induced societal improvement for both the nations, especially Mexico has been benefitting from its remittances and foreign exchange revenues because of this inter-country commerce. Currently, both the countries are working on initiating reform schemes that would bring changes to the present scenario in the country. The social failures faced by the Mexican society can be attributed to the trade pact among the nations, which has caused greater social inequality, decline of democratic control as well as environmental damage. On analyzing the ideology and practice of globalization in respect to the Mexican trade policies, it could be evident that increased mobility of capital makes it hard for the political organizations to impose regulations against the polluting firms. Consequently, globalization has created a negative impact on the political arena of the nation, resulting in restrictions on the powers of the government to intervene into the country’s economies. This subsequently affects the public life, by limiting the democratic power of the people in exercising control over the political affairs that affects their economic lives. “NAFTA, then, is quite explicitly an agreement that pushes out the boundaries of unfettered capitalist production, and in so doing it limits democracy by limiting peoples power to exercise political control over their economic lives.” (MacEwan 131). The authoritative governments, hardening of state policies, narcotics trade, corruption and inequality have accelerated climate-change-driven migration and social breakdown in the Mexican state. However, social violence and migration are not the only social failures generated by NAFTA and globalization in Mexico. There are other failures, particularly, the environmental destruction, which is surely exacerbated with the success of globalization. According to Parenti, the immigration of Mexican people to US is exacerbated by the climatic change and economic gains by the industrialization of the localities. It is estimated that as an impact of the climatic change, more than 50 million people has already been dislocated and the number is yet to see a sheer increase in the years to come. This environmental crisis has caused suburban sprawl and over-consumption of resources accompanied with violence and repression in the areas. The violence and narco-trafficking ravaged in the Mexican state has collided with the climatic change, producing socially destructive forms of adaptation. The catastrophic convergence in the nation is attributed to the adverse effects of the climate change causing agricultural and fishing industries to face a sudden decline. Furthermore the neoliberal policies of the nation have contributed to poverty, unemployment, social inequality and violence among the country. To add fuel to the problems is the underground drug-trafficking that has trapped the nation’s economy both politically and socially. “Neoliberalism is a principle culprit, which, along with climate changes adverse effects on agriculture and fishing, is driving rising unemployment and pushing people north, toward the United States, and into the traps of the underground drug economy.” (Fernandez). As Mexico is fighting for its survival against the narco-terrorism, it has been described as a ‘failed state’ that is borne to face rapid and sudden collapse. The entire judicial infrastructure and political government are under constant threat, pressured by the gang criminals and drug cartels. The possibilities of Mexico to survive against the odds of globalization are unlikely as its internal conflicts could turn out to be destructive over the coming years, impacting the stability of the nation. However, the Mexican government has taken measures to control its national territories by exercising a quasi-monopoly within its borders. “The power of governments to shape outcomes is critical, as trade has not only destroyed jobs here but its disruption of agriculture in Mexico and elsewhere has pushed mass emigration as competition by cheap imports destroyed rural living.” (Zaccone). The social contradictions created by the globalization and the social failures associated with the spread of capitalism paves way for ‘creative destruction’. This leads to unemployment, destitution of communities and devastation of the environment at various levels, thereby causing disempowerment of the populace. Though globalization has united the world, it has not been successfully integrated as a whole, leading to topical concerns and problems that are halted by the diverging conceptions of the global powers. The contemporary globalization in Mexico is driven by the economic power, thereby promoting the hegemony of the Western corporations into the country’s political and social sphere. In the present days, the more and more inter-connected global society is lacking consensus on the fundamental issues and priorities which are ultimately dealt with conflicts. In the Mexican scenario, the implementation of NAFTA plays a crucial role in determining the country’s economy, nevertheless, destructing its social and political welfare to a greater level. It is essential for the Mexican government to come up with flexible policies that might mitigate the impacts of the brewing migration problems and best accommodate the demands of globalization between the nations. Works Cited Fitzgerald, Michael. Earth Circles: Baháʼí Perspectives on Global Issues. Kalimat Press, 2003. Fernandez, Belen. “A Convergence of Convergences: Friedman vs Parenti.” Aljazeera, 8 Feb 2012. Web. 4 Mar 2014. MacEwan, Arthur. "Globalisation and stagnation." Socialist Register 30.30 (1994). Parenti, Christian. Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence. Nation Books, 2011. Rivoli, Pietra. The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy. Willey. 2006. Wiarda, Howard J. Globalization: Universal Trends, Regional Implications. UPNE, 2007. Zaccone, June. “Has Globalization Destroyed the American Middle Class?” Columbia Seminar on Full Employment, Social Welfare and Equity. April 2012. Web. 4 Mar 2014. Read More