Explain and assess this statement: "It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity" Kofi Annan

Résumé du document

Since 1995 and the establishment of the WTO, the quick spread of new technologies, and the increasing interdependence between countries, supporters and detractors of globalization have been arguing about whether globalization actually exists and if its effects are positives or negatives for the business and/or the welfare of the entire human population. The purpose of this assignment is to analyse and assess the following statement made by Kofi Annan in 2000 concerning globalization: "It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity." Globalization has its defenders and its protestors. In order to better understand each point of view and to assess Kofi Annan' statement, we will first explain what is globalization. We need to compare different definitions to have a neutral and general definition on which everybody agrees.

Extraits

[...] The history shows that are many periods in which people interacted between each other across long distances, including great empires, such as those of the Mongols, the Romans and the European ones[14] (Porter). All these empires have been destroyed; they do not exist any more. But at their apogee they had settled what we would call globalization. It means that globalization has already existed and has already been reversed. But is the process that we are facing today really globalization? Actually it is not exactly what we can call globalization. It is more precisely a regionalisation and a triadization. [...]

[...] Even if globalization implies specialisation, countries tend to resist and keep their autonomy by giving financial help for their agriculture in case of war for example. Globalization process has improved the trade, prosperity, welfare. Even if there are some bad points, Kofi Annan's statement is true; arguing against globalization is not the point, because globalization is a non-reversible process, like the laws of gravity. But we can shape it through reforms of international institutions, new agreements in WTO in order to make it better fit with our expectations and our needs and reach the final step of the globalization process, which is globalization itself. [...]

[...] The purpose of this assignment is to analyse and assess the following statement made by Kofi Annan in 2000 concerning globalization: has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity” Globalization has its defenders and its protestors. In order to better understand each point of view and to assess Kofi Annan' statement, we will first explain what is globalization. We need to compare different definitions to have a neutral and general definition on which everybody agrees. [...]

[...] We can see through all those different points of views and definitions that globalization is a very controversial subject. The same phenomenon (for example the expansion of the worldwide interdependencies) can be interpreted in different ways: some people see it as a force for the good whereas others consider it as a threat and fight against it. The basic problem that we confront is given that the advantages of globalization are so much greater than the deficit, how do we take care of those who are on the wrong side of this process? Alan Greenspan. [...]

[...] We have seen in the previous part that as Alan Greenspan said, globalization process has more positive than negative effects. But is enough to accept it as it is? At the contrary, are few arguments against globalization enough to reject it and try fight against the process? It is clear that globalization is not perfect and both points of view have to be corrected. The two statements from Tony Blair and Tarja Halonen seem to be opposite but actually they are not. [...]