Alien Sightings

Globalization And Management Of

Mar 21, 2010 Aliens

 

                     Globalization has become now an all purpose- catch word in public and academic debate. Ruling class attribute their economic and political debacle to the onslaught of globalization, likewise political strategists, corporate personalities, religious and ethics advocates also blame the impact of globalization. This all has happened after world war II when the infrastructure for communication and technology, transportation, military aggression  increased dramatically .Links for negative interdependence and “alienation tracks” have surfaced in a different way .Some claim that globalization really helped to make the world a homogeneous entity ,others do cast reservations and believe that it has increased the gap between societies. Both the groups are by and large working hard to justify their stand. Thus globalization has really halved its influence and manifestations. The world at large directly or indirectly adopted the dimensions of globalization in various fields of society in a varied pattern. Although the primary concerns of the globalization have been global issues viz, global warming, international conflicts, AIDS, food security and economic development, in this regard some people have mixed belief that globalization does not necessarily “determine local events”, there is no escaping to it .But after exhausting primary global agendas, the champions of globalization do have intervened in the local arena of socio- political issues demanding foreign intervention in different parts of the world. For that there are instances to justify the comprehensive approach of global players, to intervene in the local conflicts across the globe. This intervention in localized conflicts mostly reflects the interests carried by the powerful state instruments. Sinceglobalization is viewed as a source of, or contributing factor to, conflict (Attali, 1991; Barber, 1995; Lerche, 1998; Scholte, 1997; Waters, 1995); and there are numerous case studies of the destabilizing impact of economic and cultural forces, radiating from the West, on local politics and culture in such places as Iran, Sierra Leone, Palestine or Indonesia among others 1.

1,Scholte and waters(1997,1995)

          

 

              

             Yet, this is a one-sided view of globalization and conflict, and the right relationship is more complex and subtle. For instance, one author, (Lerche, 1998: 47) while conceding that “globalization is often disruptive and inequitable in its effects…”and that it has “…posed new challenges for existing public institutions…”; suggests that it has also, paradoxically, opened avenues for the excluded and marginalized to organize and protest against “…its subordinating and homogenizing force.” In a somewhat similar vein it is argued that the relationship between globalization and conflict is complex in ways not here to fore fully discussed in the literature. Globalization, understood broadly, is an accelerator of social change, and as such, may act as a catalyst for conflict, aggravating the tensions in any given society and even making new ones. At the same time, it may also catalyze and accelerate conflict resolution. Thus the intensifying interconnectedness which characterizes globalization has unintended consequences for both conflict and peace processes; and here we explore this theme in some depth. After defining what we mean by globalization, we go on to examine its relationship with conflict and its interaction with conflict prevention and resolution. 2

                           Globalization mean many things to many people and in this context, Riggs argues that “dimensions” of globalization are central to the concerns of no less than seven academic disciplines. As such the main concern of this paper here is primarily with the direct and indirect effects of what has come to be known as “economic”, “market-driven” or “neo-liberal” globalization on local conflict. But , it is impossible to limit our discussion to economic processes, narrowly defined, since the same forces and enabling conditions that have led to global economic change and have also facilitated change in other areas. Specifically, economic perspectives on globalization view it to be rooted in changes in technology and production processes.

                 Another strand of this literature critiques the positing of globalization as a natural and inevitable process. Some like Robert Cox (1996), critique what they call an” ideology” of globalization that presents it as inevitable and beneficial. For them this ideology underplays the unevenness of the process (which is both economically and politically driven) and the inequality between states and actors who are caught up in it (Hurrell and Woods, 1995). In reality, some peoples, localities, or institutions are more affected by globalizing forces than others. Some areas will benefit economically, others will not; certain groups will feel invaded by alien cultural forms, whereas others will be untouched. The fantastic divide between those benefiting from globalization and those hurting from it accentuates the possibilities for conflict.3

2.Larche,1998 ;47

3.Robert Cox 1996

 

 

        More generally, Held et al. (2000) argue that globalization makes new spatial organizations and social relations defined in terms of four key factors:-

Extensity; describes  the stretching of social, political, and economic activities across frontiers and borders. An event in one region has impacts elsewhere, so for example changes in share prices in New York may lead to women in Malaysia losing their job in a shoe manufacturing plant .This is how the extensity results in interdependence and collective thinking in all areas of social life.

 

Intensity ;is more than occasional interconnectedness, as it refers to a growing number of interconnections. The number of relationships between events, institutions and people in one society increases with respect to other societies.

 

Velocity ;  is the speed of interactions. Thus, not only is the rate at which the

Interconnectedness between Santiago and San Francisco increasing, but the time taken   to establish a connection is constantly shrinking .Societies are prompt to establish global interactions ,which gives new dimensions and changes in the existing social settings

 

Impact;   is the deepening of extensity, intensity and velocity. Distant events have greater local consequences .As globalization accelerates change along all four vectors, new regional and global networks of activity, interaction and the use of power come into being – in each instance making new sets of “winner” and “losers” .There fore impact makes a society to accept the change and to be part of changing conditions. The social relations are to be compatible with changing global phenomena.         

 

               

 

                 This dynamic model acknowledges that globalization concerns more than economics and makes us to recognize that its direction is not exclusively from the economically well off Western world to the poorer non-western world. Rather, anyone who can access the technology of globalization can influence the processes. The actors in this globalized world are diverse, and include multi-national companies, communal and religious groups, diasporas, publics, nation states, and more.4 In contrast to the state-centric perspective characteristic of international relations, in the study of globalization we find that the relative importance of one actor versus another varies from situation to situation, from context to context. This leads to an vital insight: the conceptually fascinating area in the study of globalization and conflict is the global – local interaction. Global forces may bring a new set of actors to bear on a local “Globalization and Conflict Resolution situation”, by facilitating the expression of a local conflict, contributing to its resolution, or even changing its character and outcome in other unpredictable ways. The literature on conflict and globalization has shed some light on these dynamics. But , what has not received as much attention is

Analysis of possible links between globalization and conflict resolution and prevention. Therefore, the discussion that follows is an initial attempt to assess to what extent and in what ways globalization, conflict, and conflict resolution interact particularly in case  local conflicts.

 

 

                         Globalization may influence the expression of conflict in a number of ways, including disturbing local events, providing new resources over which to compete, and threatening deeply held values or symbols, to name a few. How these connections are functional in a society, a troublesome example of how globalization and conflict   interact can be found in the tale of ‘conflict diamonds’, where diamonds are used to fund military operations. Diamonds have long been valuable commodities. In 1999 trade in raw, unpolished diamonds totaled some $7.25 billion (Goreux, 2001:3). It is truly a globalized market. Dominated by the South African DeBeers cartel (owning some 40%of the world’s diamond mines), diamonds may be mined in southern Africa, Russia, Canada, or Australia. Raw diamonds are polished in Antwerp, London, Bombay or Dubai. Polished diamonds are then exported for sale largely in Japan or the U.S. (Goreux, 2001). It is estimated that the trade in ‘conflict diamonds’ amounts to some $250 million .While only 3.5% of the total trade in diamonds, it represents a significant source of income for warring parties. In “Angola” and ‘Sierra Leone’, the failure of the central government, insurgency campaigns, and the lack of external funding sources have combined with the access to diamond mining regions to make a disaster. In Angola, “UNITA” (the rebel force led by the late Jonas Savimbi, seeking to oust the current government in Luanda) lost financial support from the U.S. government, after the end of the Cold War. To replace this funding ‘UNITA’ first stockpiled diamonds and then used diamond sales to fund weapons buys , in order to continue its war. In ‘Sierra Leone’ the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has been waging war against the central government since 1991. The’ RUF’ relies upon diamond smuggling to support its military campaign. This military campaign has resulted in the death of some 10,000 to 20,000 people and seen nearly 2 million people displaced .While ‘conflict diamonds’ account for a very small part of the total global trade in uncut diamonds, the diamonds play a central role in funding two bloody and violent conflicts. In addition, ‘conflict diamonds’ make an incentive among some to keep a place like Sierra Leone held up in violence. The global market in diamonds, interacting with the global arms trade, has impacted local conditions in Angola and Sierra Leone. In both nations the local conflicts have been fed, and new dynamics introduced.  In this examples global market forces and international pressures for democratic and liberal economic reforms exacerbated already brewing local conflicts. This is how we look at globalization’s impact on conflict irrespective of being local or national.

                Such events paved the way for international communities working in different areas for the welfare and protection of humanity to introspect and to come up with a changing approach so that human sufferings are reduced viz a viz a human face can prevail upon societies all over the globe. In this context there are few instances which reflect this changed pattern of international community, for instance some factors that clarify the increase in conflict terminations – the changing role of the international community are; 5

5.(Goreux 2001)

End of the Cold War: – During the Cold War the United States and Soviet Union financed a number of armed groups and governments as a key aspect of fighting so-called proxy wars (examples include Nicaragua, El Salvador, Angola, and Mozambique). The end of the Cold War meant that armed conflicts no longer have as ready a source of external source of financing.

New political climate for the UN Security Council: -With the end of the Cold War came increased political latitude for the UN, particularly the Security Council. The new climate has allowed an expansion in the number, scope, and mandate of peace-keeping operations by the UN and other international bodies.

International justice: -Since the Cold War, the role of the Hague has been expanding. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has played a particularly vital role in the post-conflict prosecution of war crimes. Associated with a change in the role of the ICJ has been a trend toward the criminalization of war, whereby individuals are held personally responsible for wrongdoing in the context of conflict. Earlier, states were held accountable within international law. The threat of international legal consequences may deter potential belligerents; but of course it could also encourage a hard line among those who are already engaged in armed conflict. It also presumes that the perpetrators will be prosecuted. While amnesty and impunity are still common, post-conflict judicial mechanisms are much likely to be employed in the post Cold War era. South African style truth commissions and restitution to victims in particular are more common instances in response to the approach of conflict management at global pattern.             

  The problem is not with globalization, but how it has been managed…..We cannot go back on globalization; it is here to stay. The issue is how we can make it work. And if it is to work, there have to be global public institutions to help set the rules.

 

 

              India opted for globalization in 90’s and adopted its vital model primarily in economic system and activities, although facing resentment from different political groups it convinced the people and policy executors to be part of globalization. In fact there had been global consciousness among politicians, elite class, academicians and scholars. With the passage of time a excellent series of understanding instruments, treaties, deals, agreements and contracts were undertaken covering the areas of economy ,politics, health ,education, defense ,energy ,and monetary services. Taking the global consciousness and approach ahead, there had also been a change in dealing the internal crisis also. Peace agreements, Ceasefire, dialogues, faith-bases reconciliation political and economic CBM’s. Regional, ethnic and political problems are the part of diversified society, so it has been observed that barring a few issues there had been a sense of global approach while addressing the local problems and taking up reconstruction and developmental process. National interest safeguard and achievement from Indian outlook depicts more global perspectives and adherence than conventional approach. Most of the working models have either been imported or bought through intellectual exchange. At this time in real sense there are hundreds of questions regarding the success of objectives set forth by the advocates of globalization, but if it is prudently evaluated the problem lies in the mismanagement of globalization process more rather than  its immediate  implications. Among regional conflicts Kashmir conflict is one of the challenging situation for the India and Pakistan as international analysts consider it  a future danger for the subcontinent .Historical evidence reflects a very vague picture of treatment and management to Kashmir conflict, as small term concessions or management pieces have not survived for the long time but have come up with severe repercussions in different epochs of the Kashmir history right from 1947.The analysis of chronology of Kashmir conflict reveal an  un justified and inconsistent treatments meted out by the politicians of India. Apart from political tomfoolery there had been an archaic and regional bias tendered to keep the thorns of suspicion and mistrust sustaining .Since the vision of Kashmiri politicians has  not been so clear and wide so  the core of the problem has been suppressed not addressed. Rationality treated with sentiment, global out look caged in local perspectives, economic opportunities confined to political limitations, social development and security a dream for common people, defective and problematic political packages represent a dismal picture of governance. This kind of approach has fuelled the crisis in different societies within India and to these problems Kashmir is no exception. Global out look provides a different picture in the arena of political and civil rights, economic opportunities and religious adherence, and these themes prevailing all over the globe have really inculcated a comparative sense among the people of Kashmir, for  that there had been a curiosity to achieve these rights available under human dignity and justice .Economic freedom ,political liberty ,social juice ,human dignity, peace and solidarity have been communicated to the people through rapid growth and reach of information technology, as a finger touch can  ensure ones access to any model of political ideology, ethical codes. Civil rights, conflict management and resolution, democratic values, human rights, economic rights and possibilities. This “digital access” of globalization has opened up the eyes of people and made them to reckon and act differently. Global corporate and academic initiatives have provided the opportunity to the people to share their thoughts and to feel the civilized and dignifies social life, this experience has s really changed the perception of people and made them to reckon and act globally .People resorted to new change and social adjustments, even globalization institutions have contributed in one way or the other to get people under the umbrella.

  But at the same time, the rapid processes of change and adjustment have been accompanied by intensified poverty, unemployment and social disintegration. Threats to human well-being, such as environmental risks, have also been globalized. Furthermore, the global transformations of the world economy are profoundly changing the parameters of social development in all countries. The challenge is how to manage these processes and threats so as to enhance their benefits and mitigate their negative effects upon people. These very same sentiments are expressed in the Statement of the Committee on “Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on globalization” issued in May 1998. It calls on the ‘World Bank’, the ‘IMF’ and ‘WTO’ to devise methods of measuring the impact of their policies on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights (social monitoring) and to revise those policies accordingly. International community responded this challenge and came up with various formulations and legal instruments. In recent years the United Nations has indicated its recognition of the need to provide leadership in dealing with the challenges posed by globalization. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has often reiterated the need to balance market forces with social needs if the world is to become a secure place for humankind. At the “World Economic Forum” held in Davos, Switzerland, in 1999, he articulated the need for a “Global Compact” to reap the best results of globalization, and in his message to the world trade ministers at the WTO meeting in Seattle he called for the need to pay heed to the yucky inequalities in the global trading regime. Thriving markets, he said, can be guaranteed only if human security is secured. His most recent report to the General Assembly to mark the “Millennium Summit” (released in April 2000) is entirely devoted to the need to re-envision governance, both internationally and nationally, in the age of globalization.              

 The new vision of governance, suggests the report, should take into account both the endless possibilities of globalization to improve human life and also the threats posed to human security. The report recognizes the centrality of human rights to people’s expectations about the future role of the United Nations. Freedom from want, freedom from dread and ensuring a sustainable future are spelled out as the three main focal points of future United Nations action. Similarly, the “United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights” has emphasized the need to make business human rights centered.  In her comment on Seattle, she stated that “there can be no denying that human right is a bottom-line issue”. We need to see more companies adopting human rights principles and being held to account for putting them into action.

 

 

 

                    Keeping in view the dimensions of globalization role of global agencies, it is better for the managers of the Kashmir conflict working on different lines and in diverse rungs to rise up from the occasion and reckon globally to address the issues related to conflict. Usually institutional and relational social set up is needed to be place in such an order whereby it can easily be compatible with the global approach. Archaic perspectives, conspiracy based initiatives, individual interest service, thrusted political packages should be replaced by open global and wide approach whereunder every democratic activity will be carried forward smoothly and the fragmented social settings will be restored and members of the society will experience global developments in real sense. Society of Kashmir has to some extent been linked to the global instruments even some low level global activities are being carried out in the field of education ,academic activities, economy, media, political discourses, diplomatic intercourses, more these venues are open and honest to the people of Kashmir more it will help to reduce the local conflictual tendencies.Extensity, intensity, velocity and impact are the dynamic features of the globalization both in positive and negative ways, so need of the hour is to set the direction of global possibilities in positive way to give a new shape to the long held disparities and issues which time and again become the fostering factor for conflict. What liberties and rights are ensured in global perspective should not be restrained, media should be free, new political thoughts should be encouraged, economic activities should be given more and more market areas, truth commissions undertaken, reform in judiciary and execution, free academic and intellectual expedition should prevail, archaic and stringent laws should be replaced by the human dignity centric law mistrusting and deceptive deals should be replaced by confidence and trust oriented initiatives, aesthetic beautification of limited spots should be replaced by real social development and social security. The efforts and the initiatives of the local managers are not confined to the boundaries of Kashmir; as globalization stretches it to every conflict and peace loving individuals across the globe. Even global institutions working in the sector of social service, financial service, religious harmony, political reformation, human dignity and humiliation have human rights agencies get apprised with the ongoing situation in Kashmir viz-a-viz role of conflict managers. So there is no scope for manipulation and distortion of the reality .Better is to deal with global contours of the Kashmir problem with global approach I expect such approach will help us to build a sustainable and long lasting management of the Kashmir conflict, otherwise history will recount us in terrible words and the generations at stake won’t forgive.

 

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Tags: Globalization, Management