Globalization Case

Globalization is not only a very controversial topic in the public debate; it is also a very contested term in academic discourse.

In order to try to bring some order into the chaos of "global blurb" we will examine various definitions, which are often used but which do not really identify the central and new character of globalization.

* Globalization as "internationalization" this concept was already establish in ancient history and even at the end of the nineteenth century, the porcertanje of cross-border transactions worldwide was not considerably lower that at the end of the twentieth century.

* Globalization as "liberalization" the recent globalization debate coincides with an increase in trade liberalization and various kind of deregulation. Nevertheless this phenomenon is much older and does not justify the invention and use of the term "globalization" to describe it.

* Globalization as "universalization", an aspect of globalization is the fact that it leads to an increasing global spread of products, lifestyles, and ideas. However, this is not new phenomenon either, for example world religions such as Christianity or Islam have spread over large part of the globe with the same unifying power. Therefore a new term such as "globalization" is not needed to describe this old phenomenon.

* Globalization as "westernization" much of the criticism on globalization focuses on the fact that it results in the export of western culture to other, culturally different world regions. Again, this is not a new phenomenon at all: the era of colonization in the nineteenth century resulted in the export of various facets of Western culture to the colonized countries, evidenced for example by the British legacy in countries such as India, the Spanish legacy in South America, and the French legacy in Africa.

What globalization is?

All of these views of globalization describe some of the more visible features of globalization. They are certainly important issues, but they do not characterize the significantly new aspects of globalization.

The technological and political development should be taken into account to define this new concept. Morden communication technology from the telephone, to ratio and television, and now the internet, open up the possibility of connecting and interacting with people despite the fact that there are large geographical distances between them. Furthermore, the rapid development of global transportation technologies allows people to easily connect with other people all over the globe. The second development is political in nature. Territorial borders have been the main obstacle to worldwide connections between people. Only 20 years ago, it was still largely impossible to enter the countries in the eastern bloc without lengthy visa procedures, and