Are Liberal Approaches to International Relations Vindicated by Globalization - Research Paper Example

090300866 Are liberal approaches to international relations vindicated by globalization? Liberal approaches to international relations are vindicated by globalization. Global economy started behaving like a world economic system as soon as commercialism was born. Global economy soon turned into an expanding system that exercises industrial capitalism. Globalization is triggered by nothing but the technological changes in major countries. The ability of these nations to produce and distribute consumer goods to the rest of the world enables globalization. Globalization involves the growing relationships between financial markets, corporations, national economies, businesses, consumer marketing, trade, production and distribution. Globalization touches every corner of life, including the economic and technological aspects. It brings changes even at the level of culture of a nation. Globalization has made comprehensive changes that have enabled nations to develop relations with other countries. Globalization has resulted into the formation of several International allies. Globalization has negatively and positively influenced nations. Developed nations establish business and other relationships with other countries through the process of globalization. Political alliances, economic alliances and cultural changes have been resulted from globalization (Baylis and Smith, 1997). International relations have been strengthened by the process of globalization. Globalization emphasizes the role played by different transnational corporations in setting up a global system of production and a global market. Globalization further draws attention to capital markets in forming a financial system that is integrated in nature. Apart from that, globalization enabled organizations like International Monetary Fund (IMF) in publicizing a typical view of the role played by countries in international economy. The very concept of globalization is a topic of controversy. Scholars, experts and journalists have often questioned few of the simplistic versions of the theory of globalization. The real scope of transnationalized economic activity is unconvincing for them. The hyperglobalist perspective asserts that economics and history have joined to form a new system of relations in which nations converge politically and economically. Activities of transnational business build relationships between nations. Economic policies are no longer defined by governments, but markets. In the nations that are economically developed, the telecommunications media have assisted the spreading of a typical global mass culture. As per the hyperglobalist perspective, the major production factors including technology and labor are mobile enough to be used in all corners of the world. The notions of national corporations, national assets and national industries have become irrelevant. More and more factors are becoming global in nature. Production, labor, assets and similar concepts are no longer national in nature. Globalization has erased the boundaries and encouraged liberal approaches to international relations. Globalization has enabled relationships that make the world a single entity. Globalization has reduced the power of nations to control economic activity. Nations are no longer able to govern transnational corporations. Globalization has made several changes that have made nations develop relations. For example, production facilities are taken to sites where costs are minimum. Revenues are adjusted among countries so that subsidies are maximized and costs are minimized. This makes several factors move beyond the boundaries of nations. The hyperglobalist viewpoint strives to construct a single world order. According to this view, national frontiers are broken and nations build relationships with each other. According to the skeptical perspective, globalization is an apology for the present supremacy of neo-liberal free market capitalism and for the growth of social control of markets. The skeptical perspective gives a clear difference between the internationalization of trade and the process of globalization. According to this view, there are historical evidences that say that the idea of world becoming a single market is not practical. The formation of regional economic blocs and the development and facilitation of trade between nations brings changes. According to the skeptical view, the economic era that makes use of the Gold Standard between different currencies, shows a better globalized economic system. Skeptical view speaks about a greater integration in history. According to it, an efficient nation-sate is required to ensure the proper functioning of a global economy. In skeptical view, globalization is not an end state, rather it is a process. The skeptical perspective is found to be a better view as globalization and internationalization contradict with each other. International trade is promoted by the prevalence and functioning of nation states that have strong rules and regulations to control and promote it. Regional trading blocs separated the countries into two classes, the countries that are part of the blocs, and the countries that are not. The skeptic view is found to be more convincing. This is because, the nation-state seldom play any role in a globalized world. Nation-states are powerful enough to control the large TNCs that have formed out of the newly formed globalized economy. Globalization improved worldwide technology. Globalization helped to upgrade the communication between nations. Globalization enabled better business and better consumption of products. Globalization links countries on a variety of areas including economics and politics (Baylis and Smith, 1997). This helped improve international relations. Business relationship between nations made their governments to interfere in their affairs. Business relations spread to all other fields like politics, culture and economics. Nations that are linked through businesses are also linked in culture, economics and politics (Baylis and Smith, 1997). Globalization has also made great impact on the culture of nations. Nations that had no relationship with each other are now in big fellowship through the business and economic relationships established through globalization. International relations have made use of globalization to meet its target. Nations developed good understanding because of the relationships they established through globalization. Good business relationships made nations develop international relationships. International relations is all about the relationship between countries. International relations focus on people, organizations and countries. Interaction between countries is supported by globalization. Understanding the relationship between international relations and globalization is important for businesses and governments. Globalization is explained as the process of improving the connectivity and mutual dependence of businesses. World’s markets and businesses establish relationship with each other. However, globalization is interpreted in a different way by people and governments. Globalization has different impact on the international relations of different countries (Gordon, 1996). It depends on the status of the nation. Globalization has positive effects on the international relationship of some countries. However, globalization has negative effect on the international relationship maintained by some countries (Gordon, 1996). Developed countries like United Kingdom, Canada, United States of America and France have a positive opinion about globalization. New means of communications, internet and telecommunications have helped to establish stable economies and governments. These means of communications help people interact effectively. Apart from that it is fast and easy. It has become easy for people to communicate, travel and do business. International businesses are possible because of these new means of communications. These businesses relationships establish relations between nations (Brown, 1997). Globalization has also influenced several nations negatively. Business relationships have spoiled certain nations by making them deprived of their resources. Nations, people and governments are highly exploited for their valuable resources. Highly developed countries exploit less developed countries. Developed countries try to make business relationships with less developed countries and exploit them. Undeveloped countries experience competitive pressure with other countries. Less developed countries are tempted by the offers of developed countries. Even though the business offers appear beneficial to them, it does ultimately spoil them. Undeveloped nations crazily develop business relationships with developed nations. However they are subjected to nothing but exploitation. Globalization being the double-edge sword influences many nations and makes them establish relationships (Brown, 1997). Relationships between nations start as business relations. It further moves to politics, economy as other fields. Globalizations thus interconnect nations. Globalization connects cultures, nations and people. It dissolves cultural boundaries and makes people develop relationships. For example, western culture has been forced into other countries. Western culture and lifestyle is followed in several parts of the world. Globalization makes these cultures spread. Globalization popularizes certain culture by forcing it on weak population. Rare or uncommon cultures fade because of the infiltration of western culture on them. Globalization highly popularized the European culture and forced nations to follow it. Nations of inferior cultures tend to imitate European culture that appears to be better for them. Globalization made them look beyond their culture and beliefs. Business relationships, followed by other relationships thus encourage international relations (Brown, 1997). Globalization is supreme reason for the relationships between nations. Globalization highlights the technological and economic aspects of life. It further draws attention to the change of culture and identity. Globalization calls attention to capitalism and corporations. It is less bothered about socialistic ideals and small businesses. Globalization works in favor of powerful, influential developed nations. It ignores the interest of undeveloped, poor nations. Globalization sucks resources from poor countries and helps the developed countries gather wealth. Globalization encourages the less developed countries to establish relationship with the developed countries. International Relations are focused on foreign affairs and relations of nations. International relations involve cultural relations, political relations, social relations, economic relations, business relations and various other factors (Steger, 2002). All these factors are important in diplomacy. Representatives, ambassadors and diplomats of nations work to preserve national communities and relationships. They aim to preserve the heritage of their nations. They encourage peace talks and welcome nations to settle disputes and commence good and peaceful relationships. Globalization has tried to display the importance of interdependent governments, nations, and economies. Globalization highlights the advantages of international relations. Globalization enabled several new relationships. Alliances like WTO, European Union and NAFTA have helped us understand how strong and powerful are international relations. Such alliances are powerful enough to make big changes in the world. A single nation, no matter how powerful it is, can never make such a powerful impact. Associations between nations helped nation develop in diverse ways. Even though globalization has highly helped developed countries and economies, it blocks them from competing globally (Woods, 1996). Foreign policies are increasingly aware of the real consequences of globalization. Certain countries understand how globalization affects its people, government, culture and economy (Bretherton and Ponton, 1996). Diplomats support their countries views and opinions and attempt to have peace talk with other countries (Bretherton and Ponton, 1996). Diplomacy is highly benefited by the process of globalization. Communication and accessibility have improved in diplomacy because of the role played by globalization (Bretherton and Ponton, 1996). Diplomats uphold their nation, people and governments. This created a strong international community. Globalization paved the way for good international relation though it brought about several bitter fruits also (Clark, 1997). Globalization accounted for business relations that made nations interact with each other on various terms (Clark, 1997). Business relations have spread to other fields too. Globalization has opened way for political and cultural relations (White et al. 1997). Globalization and International relations are interdependent (Woods, 1996). Globalization and international relations help nation set up strong relations that makes them powerful and influential (Hirs and Thompson, 1996). Rare cultures are diminishing and popular cultures are spreading to other nations too. Even though all nations desire benefits from globalization and international relations, few are benefited by them (Stiglitz, 2002). International relations are depended on the resources of a nation. What each country can offer is crucial. Certain countries that are full of resources are used to the maximum, when the entire benefits go to the exploiter (Clark, 1997). Taking India as an example we can see that India is deemed as the big market for consumer goods. Developed countries who own large businesses are playing well in Indian markets. Along with spreading Western culture, western products are increasingly made popular in India. The nation’s own products are neglected by consumers because of the heavy flow of foreign goods that are highly appealing. Globalization turned the nation into a big market. Foreign goods are being dumped into Indian markets. Consumers embrace foreign goods and foreign culture. Western goods and western culture is more popular that native products in India. India is a big basket of raw materials too. Raw materials are used by foreign companies and products are brought in return. India is exploited much in business. Even though there are several positive effects of globalization for India, they are highly exploited by developed countries. Goods from foreign countries fled to Indian market. Money flows to foreign economies. India has also developed good international relationships because of the business relationships they maintain with other countries. Globalization has also positively influenced the nation. Globalization has brought about several developments in India. Globalization has prepared the way for International relations in India. Indian economy, Indian culture and Indian politics have also been highly influenced by the process of globalization. Indian economy is positively and negatively influenced by the process of globalization. Globalization has enabled India develop international relations. More and more institutions, economies and nations are moving to a new social order. An integrated global economic system will soon be coming. Nations that were not interconnected earlier are now getting interconnected. Globalization is becoming increasingly prominent in various parts of the world (Hirs and Thompson, 1996). Humanity was once not much integrated. In the earlier nations used to have simple relationships with each other. There used to be no business relationships and other relations. However globalization has introduced international relations in which nations have the freedom to deny or accept the treaties offered by other countries. The modern world is connected by advanced technology, communication facilities and transportation facilities. Universal sovereignty has reduced much, especially in Europe. All international organizations Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) and other organizations have experienced a pull from globalization. Political entities, economic structures and even sports programs have been influenced by globalization. This is evident in the changes happened to the world-wide institutions. One example of this integration is Olympic Games. Formation of associations like European Union is also the result of this integration. Globalization has got gigantic influence on events like Olympic Games. Globalization has also heavily influenced institutions like WTO and NAFTA. These alliances have improved international relations. Works Cited Charlotte Bretherton and Geoffrey Ponton (1996) Global Politics: An Introduction, Cambridge, MA, Blackwell Publishers. Chris Brown (1997) Understanding International Relations, London, Macmillan. Gordon, D. M . (1996) Fat and Mean. New York, Free Press. Brian White, Richard Little and Michael Smith (1997), Issues in World Politics, London, Macmillan, and New York, St Martins Press. Ian Clark (1997) Globalization and Fragmentation: International Relations in the 20th Century, Oxford University Press, 1997 John Baylis and Steve Smith (1997) The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, Oxford University Press. Hirst, P. and G. Thompson (1996). Globalization in Question. Cambridge, Polity. Ngaire Woods (1996), Explaining International Relations since 1945, Oxford University Press. Steger, M. (2002) Globalism. The New Market Ideology. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. Stiglitz, J. (2002). Globalization and Its Discontents. New York: Norton. Read More