Globalism

Globalism is about the world coming together multiculturally. It is also about the world's civilization becoming interconnected, woven together and relying on each other for survival and continuance. Globalism over the years has removed barriers between civilizations and generated more tolerance among them.

One good thing Globalism brought about last week was the meeting between King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, the first such meeting between the main leader of Islam and the main leader of Christianity. International world events brought them together. Such a meeting would have been unthinkable, a non-started or unnecessary post 9/11.

Globalism has shrunken the world. In the past, when the world was a bigger place, world leaders could ignore each other and go about their business without having to address each other or explain themselves to the rest of world. But things have change since Globalism has made the world a more interdependent place. Leaders now feel pressured that they have to explain and defend their policies to the rest of the world. They feel this pressure because their action can be so destabilizing for the rest of world. The integration of the world politically and economically has force them to change and rethink their positions for the better. This is an incremental change but nonetheless a positive one.

What Globalism has done by shrinking the world and making it more interdependent and interconnected is made world leaders and their nations more accountable. Things in the world have become so interwoven that one nations actions can have great consequences for others. Thus nations around the world have become more conscious and concerned about doing the right thing by each other.

Globalism has contained and defused a lot of abusive power in the world from becoming more dangerous. For example, Gen. Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan has had to respond to world criticism and anger about invoking marshal law, which he didn't feel necessary to do eight years ago when he first took power by force. This time he has been stopped in his tracks and has had more opposition, internally and externally. This time Musharraf felt pressure and obliged, by Globalism's forces, to extend an olive branch to defuse tension and world anxiety as King Abdullah felt he had to last week at the Vatican.