Understanding Globalization in Relation to Human Condition

Globalization and the Human Condition
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Globalization and the Human Condition
Introduction
The interaction and integration of people across the social, cultural, political, economic, and even civic dimensions of societies around the world are characteristic of various transitions with equally diverse influences and effects on the global society as a whole. Documented in history, for instance, is the ancient economic interactions among traders from different social, political, and economic backgrounds along the Silk Road, between the 15th and 18th centuries, for individual, state, or even regional development. In essence, individuals with different political ideologies, unique religious orientations, and distinct cultural beliefs and practices interacted and integrated on a cross-border or an international platform in their business transactions. The cross-border interactions and integrations across the diverse social dimensions have since undergone various transitions in the advent of Scientific and Industrial Revolutions, whose influences functioned to promote interdependence among different nations around the world. It suffices, therefore, to state that the interaction and integration of social, cultural, political, economic, and civic characteristics defining members of a given society or group is an ancient phenomenon that undergoes continuous transitions as influenced by the evolution of human ingenuity across the said social dimensions. Advances in telecommunication technology in today’s world, for instance, account for significant improvement of the ancient phenomenon through increased or rather expansive integration and interactions across the different social dimensions on the digital platform. It is this ancient phenomenon that is commonly referred to as globalization. Globalization encompasses all the aforementioned social dimensions in today’s world, as evidenced by the increased social, cultural, political, and civic interactions and integration at the global or international level. The fact that globalization thrives on the different social dimensions creates an inevitable intersection with the human condition. In essence, globalization impacts the distinct social, cultural, political, and economic orientations characterizing societies or nations around the world. What then is this intersection, and how does it manifest in society? This research paper seeks to answer the question by analyzing different approaches or theories of globalization as dictated by the outlined social dimensions and thus creating an understanding of globalization in correlation to the human condition.
Scope of Globalization
Globalization makes for a complex concept with varied definitions as stipulated by the dominant social dimension within which it occurs. Among the common definitions of the concept emerged from the internationalization of trading activities or cross-border economic interactions and integration or interdependence among different nations. Cross-border integration has since evolved as it entails not only monetary and business transactions but also includes cross-cultural interactions and socio-political interdependence. It is a multidimensional phenomenon that calls for a comprehensive approach towards its definition and evaluation across the human condition CITATION Axf13 \l 1033 (Axford, 2013). The socio-cultural, political, and economic dimensions upon which globalization occurs to create an excellent platform for conducting a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the global interconnectedness across the outlined social dimensions and their effect on humanity CITATION Ros05 \l 1033 (Rosenberg, 2005). These dimensions characterize or rather define humanity as a whole and thus making for an easier understanding of the intersection of globalization and human need. The political, economic, and cultural approaches to globalization are some of the platforms used herein for a holistic analysis and evaluation of globalization and the human need.
Political Approach to Globalization
Globalization through the lens of cross-border political interactions and integration is prevalent today through the transfer and sharing of common political beliefs or ideologies across the international platform. A common political ideology that promotes the observation of democratic processes as championed by the United States and other Western countries, for instance, is an excellent example of political globalization witnessed around the world today. Rajee (2000) intimates that proponents of political globalization are pushing for the universality of political ideologies by widespread advocacy for liberal democracy as the set standard for establishing political interdependence on the international platform (Rajaee, 2000). The end of the Second World War saw the rise and dominance of Western liberal democracy as the ideal political ideology for adoption by all societies around the world. The proposed internationalization of the Western political ideology and orientation built on its endearing principles of equal rights, freedom, and justice for all as the backbone for the rule of law (Boncheva, 2002). Political globalization, through the adoption of liberal democracy as the set standard for the same, led to the establishment of international political entities such as the United Nations (UN) to spearhead the process of creating a universal political system embedded in the liberal democratic principles. Globalization sought to create cross-border political interconnectedness through shared beliefs for democratic processes by promoting adherence to the liberal democratic processes upheld by international political organizations such as the UN.
The Western political orientation, liberal democracy, enjoys widespread adoption across the world due to globalization through the international institutions whose membership demands the observation of the liberal democratic principles (Tausch, 2012). The widespread adoption of liberal democracy through globalization made it a populist ideology whose opposition attracted exclusion from the global interconnectedness. Though political globalization thrived on the adoption of liberal democratic principles, it lacks the threshold to control the rise of political instabilities witnessed across the world by factions arising in different countries in the guise of fighting for or seeking the realization of liberty, justice, and freedom for all as dictated by the universality of liberal democracy. Such occurrences deny individual countries their state authority as the rising political factions may claim alignment to the global political standards without following or adhering to the democratic processes of gaining political influence at the national level (Ghemawat, 2019). It suffices, therefore, that globalization erodes the plurality of liberal democracy in favor of populist democratic ideologies. A political faction in a given country that favors the interests of the popular liberal democracy embraced by the international political organization and formations, for instance, is likely to receive the support of the organization’s member state irrespective of whether or not they adhere to the democratic processes of the globalized political ideology.
Hence, the strive for political globalization through widespread advocacy for the universal adoption of liberal democracy as the ideal political ideology accounts for increased political instability across different nations around the world in the effort and on the guise of seeking alignment to the now popular political orientation (Axford, 2013). Such circumstances further breed widespread disregard for human rights and freedoms, characterizing the liberal democracy due to the rise of populist beliefs, which overshadow the principles of equality for all. Political orientations deemed unpopular to the globalized liberal democracy also strive to maintain their identity and influence among other nations leading to a competitive struggle to perpet...