Globalisation – The Pros and Cons of the Global Village

Globalization has been there for many years. Before, people traded goods and travelling across immense distances. The modern globalization starts with the Industrial Revolution ; new machines were able to manufacture cheaper goods. Countries move about closer to each other. Natives, businesses and organizations in dissimilar countries can live and work mutually. We can trade goods, cash and ideas quicker and cheaper than ever before.

Numerous experts have said that we require a different kind of globalization in our world today. There must be customs to make certain that all countries profit from the superior sides of globalization. We ought to help inferior countries by giving them better education and viewing them how new expertise works.

Free trade has increased among nations. Corporations have bigger flexibility to function across borders. So far the flow of communications has increases which allows vital information to be shared amid individuals and corporations just about the world. Lessening of cultural barriers increases the global village effect, spread of democratic ideals to urbanized nations. International bodies like the World Trade Organization contravene on national and individual sovereignty. Globalization decreases in environmental integrity as polluting corporations take benefit of weak regulatory rules in developing countries.

In the previous few years groups against globalization have prearranged protest marches in addition to demonstrations to point out that not everybody is content with how the world's market is mounting.

Egypt Crisis...

The recent unrest in Egypt has made people wonder as to what are the causes to this sudden up rise. President Housani Mubarak, an American backed dictator, has been made widely unpopular as a result of this unrest in eygpt. The protestors only demand the removal of mr. Mubarak from the presidential office. They demand a free and fair election to be held as soon as poslb so that genuine leadership would emerge as well as the problems of the people could be addressed.

Anylst believe that the sudden change in white house policy towards the Middle East has made people wonder as to what is coming next. The reason behind this thinking is that this is a movement which is led by the local people as they have stood up against injustice corruption and poverty.

But this movement is termed to be a turning point as far as the history of the region is concerned as the dynamics are rapidly changing with the passage every second.

The people demand a government which is backed by them and should represent them rather than the foreign forces and this could be witnessed at the Tehreem Square where people are on their own and they are not backing Mohammad Al Baradi who is considered to be a US backed opposition leader.

This unrest has also made other countries in the region think on improving the state of affairs in their countries.  Jordan is the biggest example where the king has sacked his Prime Minister on the grounds of corruption.

It is also said that this movement might end up with a change in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which could chamge the entire dynamics of the Islamic world completely and due to this the Saudi government is still backing the unpopular Mubarak. 

How can the government improve gender related policies?

The government of every country plays an important role in framing the policies for the benefits if its citizens. One example of such policies is gender related policies. In many countries women are discriminated in all spheres and little or nothing is being done by the government in order to amend or improve these policies to promote gender equality at all levels.

It is seen that many women face discrimination at work and there is gender inequality. They cannot aspire to reach a good position at the work place, even though their skills, talents and abilities are similar to those men. A “glass ceiling” exists at the work place which acts as a barrier for women and limits their chances of women to rise within the hierarchy of an organization.  The sociological theory of Lisa Atkins also says that many women face sexual harassment at work and their complaints are not taken seriously by the employers.  I think that the solution to this can be that the policies should be framed in such a way that the government should take steps to frame policies that promote equality. Jobs should be based on skills and expertise and not on gender. Together with this, there should be equal opportunities of promotion for both men and women, and both should have a right to exercise their work according to their will. In households’ women play w very important role in domestic work and child rearing, but there work is not recognized because it is “unpaid”.  In order to make this work recognized, policies should be made that propose help in domestic work and child rearing by both parents. An effort should also be made by the NGO’s  to go from door to door and ask women about how they want their work to be recognized.

Like women, there are some policies that should also be made for men, so that gender equality is promoted. Like women, men should also get paternal leave from work. Also, it is seen that many people who are seen on the streets are men and not women. The reason for this being ,that men are not protected and given shelter like women, and so something should be done by the government to give shelter to homeless men.

Thus I think that in every country the government should make a conscious effort to make a list of policies that promote gender equality at all levels so there is no equality and all discrimination based on gender comes to an end.

South Asia...

South Asia basically consists of nine countries Pakistan India Sri Lanka Maldives Bhutan Iran Bangladesh and Nepal. All these countries have their own significant and considerable culture and values that they are attached with. South Asia makes over one fifth of the world population that’s why it is considered as one of the most populous and densely populated geographical region of the world. Talking about the culture of south Asian countries, it would not be wrong to say these countries are very much rooted with their history and olden times. People of this region are very firm on their religious believes, they feel proud and glory over their culture and they follow all the customs and traditions setup by their ancestors. The south Asian society is well hardworking. There is good potential and capacity just the unavailability of resources and lack of proper management distracts them a bit. However, south Asian, have made their name in many fields because of talent. These countries also have nuclear power which gives them the advantage over other countries and make them a prominent and an impactful region. They have abundant availability of natural resources and agriculture land which makes them an important player in world economics. Poverty and hunger is an issue that needs to be addressed in order to see south Asian societies flourishing in future. Due to uneven distribution of wealth and lack of economic opportunities people are heading towards crime offense and hunger. Politics and government dynamics in also an important aspect that needs to be sort out to make south Asia prosperous and affluent region in future.

Globalization...

They say that globalization is the reflection of relations between different regions of the world and the shared influence is what societies exert upon one another. But this general perception does not always capture the relationship between every region. Our knowledge and experience of the world reveals this reality to us that globalization is more or less a concealed term for westernization or Americanization. If we say for example that Hollywood is inspired by Massai then this statement might sound ridiculous but if we say it the other way round then this would certainly not sound as ludicrous although the fact that Hollywood is influenced by Massai is likely to be true. Even right now when I am using these terms like “Massai” Microsoft Word is marking it to be spell checked. The entire system of trade and decision making is based on the will of a single region to which other nations have to comply, in order to survive. This process, at least in South Asia, has started with our colonized mind sets through which we have warmly welcomed exploitation through globalization and many regions themselves have given up by choosing to become the “labour class” and letting the receiving region become the “capitalist”.

Turkey starts building ‘dam of friendship’ with Syria

In an attempt to strength relationships with Syria, Turkey has started the construction of a ‘dam of friendship’ with the country. The Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended a groundbreaking ceremony this Sunday for the construction of a dam on a river that flows from Syria to Turkey known as the River Asi. This ceremony was held at the border province of Hatay, where the Turkish citizens were waving the Turkey and Syrian flags.

In his address, the Prime Minister said, “Turkey and Syria are two brothers, and friendly ties between the two will continue forever,” ‘Today, the Asi River ceases to be a border line that separates us, that sets us apart, as it becomes a border line that brings us closer.”

The beginning of construction of this dam, which is dubbed as “the dam of friendship” was a project long delayed project due to disagreements on technical details. On Jan. 7, 2010, it was announced that both countries agreed to build the dam. It has now been decided that the dam will be used exclusively for irrigation purposes and as a flood prevention barrier. After its completion, it will be possible to irrigate 13,334 hectares of land. However, it’s purposes are not just restricted to that. Erdoğan said Turkey and Syria will also jointly use the electricity that the dam produces. It will also be possible to carry out fishery activities and water sports and other recreational activities. The costs of the dam’s operation and maintenance will be covered by the two countries, and each will have an equal share of the responsibility.

Erdoğan, later flew to Aleppo to meet with the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. There he mentioned his government’s policy of “zero problems with neighbors, that led to the construction of this dam and a radical transformation in Turkish-Syrian ties with cooperation in almost every field. He said “Turkey will be more peaceful as Syria becomes more peaceful, and Syria will become wealthier as Turkey becomes wealthier,”“We are nations that were made brothers by history. Our destiny has been one and the same for centuries.”

South Asian society- An overview...

South Asian countries consist mostly of countries that were previously British colonies. This advent of the British rule helped them move towards modernization and a huge wave of decolonization which swept over the South Asian countries in the middle of 20^th century left them like little nestling with no mother to take care of them. This is reinforced by their stature in the world as third world countries and status as developing. The South Asian countries are blessed with oil as is evident by many scientific research but unlike the middle eastern countries who are earning money off the oil the South Asian countries live happily of the pocket money they receive from powerful nations. Their character is still tainted with submission towards a power. Previously it was UK and now it is the US. What has been acquired can also be forgotten and slowly this attitude is changing. India, for one, is learning to stand upon its feet and has now a booming economy. But the problem is the many little South Asian feet. This region of the world is burdened with over population, which provides a strain to the already meager resources of the government. South Asian people keep their loyalties towards the state and not the government. Their loyalty comes out at different times and whenever it does forms and example for the whole world to learn from. The institutions in these countries are not well developed due the mishandling in the beginning when they achieved independence and the same traditions of mismanagement and money laundering are still being followed with utmost care to preserve, it seems, a national identity which everyone is aware of. The private sector on the other hand has done admirably well in the countries showing the creativity and hard work of the masses. The general population strives in its day to day activities and tries to make the society a better place, but these nations have a long way to go and they need proper governance and proper institutes.

Globalization, the new world order...

Globalization is the new world order. It is a phenomenon that is enveloping us all, and in almost all aspects of our life. And yet defining this concept is not simple. In the plainest terms, globalization is the emergence of the world as a global village; where connections are not only possible but very easy, quick and efficient. The advent and spread of technology to many regions of the world has made communication from across the sphere from the globe very effortless and potentially straightforward. Globalization now incorporates trade, economics, social and cultural spheres of a nation. A country could never exist solely in isolation and now it is even more impossible. Nations from across the world in engaged in political, economical and social ties with each other, and relationships have become an interconnected web supporting many different links. As with everything else, globalization and its consequent interdependence and linkages come with advantages and disadvantages. The greatest benefit of globalization is undoubtedly the spread of modern technological advancement to the developing countries. This promotes technological innovations in the developed countries and provides opportunities for the world as a whole to grow in the technology scale. Other advantages include the economics and trade markets. Trade has thrived in the competitive global market. Consumers are now presented with innumerable number of choices which allow them to opt for a lifestyle they want. The mixing and promotion of different cultures and tourism are also seen as desirable consequences. Social values are also being propagated and promoted; global forums and societies are working to raise awareness against global issues. The disadvantages include the usage of technology to form more advanced WMS. Arms trade between the countries has also increased and with that the black and grey markets are also thriving bringing small arms to the streets of developing countries. The concept of free market economy has made the global arena highly competitive, where survival is no easy task. It is not always possible for all nations and all companies to meet the stringent criteria for a high standard and other requirements. Similarly, the foreign substitutes in a nation result in the local products losing their market. Increased globalization is promoting a plan to change the map of the world by the superpowers known as New World Order which is more suitable for the world we are living in, as the state system is becoming less efficient now.

Middle East crisis - will history repeats itself!

The present situation seems very familiar. Against the background of ever-rising inflation, the Middle East descends into chaos, sending the oil price surging and the global economy into recession.

Back in 1973-74, this is exactly what occurred as a result of the Arab-Israeli war, and the western regions boycott by producers in the OPEC cartel as well as a fourfold rise in the cost of crude oil. The crisis, however, had deeper roots: the inability of the US to secure the international financial system, given the cost incurred by the Vietnam War, a steady increase in price pressures over the previous half-decade, and the easy accessibiliy of credit as politicians worked to keep the long post-war boom going.

This trend has been present across the years; 1973-74 to 2010-11. The period since 2007 has witnessed an international financial crisis. The US has been severely impaired by the military over-stretch as well as the bursting of its housing bubble. The abundance of cheap money in the global market has quickened the economic recovery, but at the cost of record food prices, and others; copper at $10,000 a ton, and Brent crude back above $100 a barrel.

Now the scales are shifting across North Africa: yesterday it was Tunisia, today it is Egypt, and tomorrow perhaps it will be Algeria. These being the equally undemocratic regimes of the Middle East, sitting on a large chunk of global oil reserves.

If history repeats itself, the initial result will be higher inflation as companies increase their mark up prices and workers seek higher wages. This will be followed by deflation produced by a shrink on corporate profitability and consumer real incomes from dearer food and energy, united with a tightening of monetary policy as central banks seek to bring inflation down again.

Financial markets, it has to be said, appear remarkably relaxed about this entire scenario. Share prices are soaring up on the back of optimism about the growth prospects for the world's two biggest economies, China and the US. Bond markets also have apparently ignored the risk that policy-makers may soon start to increase the cost of borrowing.

But,however, for oil supplies to be seriously affected today, the unrest in the Middle East would have to spread to other regimes who are willing to use their crude stocks for political purposes. There has been a spike in the prices of oil, but for present that is all. There are long-term reasons explaining high oil prices, but no apparently obvious reasons to satisfactorily explain why events in Egypt should witness the price of crude  oil approaching the record levels of almost $150 a barrel seen in 2008.

The reasons for the high expense of oil reflects what is happening in China and the US rather than Egypt and Tunisia, but we should still be concerned. Why? Simply because each of the four major recessions since the early 1970s have been lead by a leap in oil prices.

Globalization...

It is an ongoing debate. Where perspectives shift based upon global position. This global position includes the geographical location; western world or the eastern, and the global status; super power, developed nation or a developing nation. But before the weighing the scales on this phenomenon, what does it actually mean? Globalization is the integration of the world into one small village. It is essentially a term that represents connections. The world is now connected with modern technology and internet providing instantaneous long-distance communications. Globalization has revolutionized the concept of distance; its meaning, its implications have now been challenged. The process or rather state of globalization which allows a global free-market trade, as well as exchanges of technology, culture and social values is assumed to be a positive thing. Obviously it is good if the world is coming together and there is interdependence and cooperation. Nations are linked in several ties with others, and each is helping the other to progress and advance towards betterment. This is the general idea that the seeming wonderful concept of globalization portrays. However, a closer look at our world today reveals a different picture. Poverty has increased, and continues to do so. More and more regions of the world are now coming under this label. Starkly contrasted to this is the fact that the wealthier regions of the world are as steadily becoming richer and richer. Is globalization indeed benefitting all? It is true that new and modern technology has reached the developing world, but the developed world still continues to remain the basis of comparison. And by comparison the developed world is still far behind. And this power imbalance and status quo will remain, for globalization is reinforcing it. Globalization is benefitting different regions at different paces and to different extents, if indeed it is benefitting all regions. Multinational companies such as Nike open up factories in poorer region under the pretext of providing employment and revenues while actually exploiting cheap labour. World organizations such as IMF and the world claim to help developing regions by monetary assistance, however in exchange of loans the nation has to agree to many conditions which are often detrimental to it, and furthermore, the superpowers feel that they have a license to interfere in the internal matters of a nation. The concept of free trade asserts that it provides everyone an equal chance to compete in the global market. However, it is a competition and like all competitions, the fittest win. The developing nations often fail to match the high standards of their wealthier competitors. Those who support it, associate the concept of interdependence with globalization. However, in most cases it actually translates into the dependence of the weaker nation and the domination of the wealthier. Instead of striving to be self-sufficient, globalization traps the developing nations to rely on the developed superpowers for their survival.

South Asian society...

South Asian countries which include Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal are unique in many aspects. Though still developing nations, they are abundant in natural resources. The subcontinent region has been claimed to have the likelihood of oil reserves. These countries are also sprinkled with cave mines which contain valuable minerals. By the western world, they are viewed as the ‘other’ region, and yet their geographical location allows them to administer several trade routes connecting different regions of the world. Pakistan particularly is said to have position on the globe that can serve as a route linking the east to the west. South Asian countries are over populated, but the populace of this region is rich in its diversity. These countries have a rich heritage and a rich cultural diversity with several different ethnicities and languages. Pakistan alone has four provincial languages along with a national and an official language; each province has also has its own culture and set of traditions. For all their strengths, the population of these nations is not united. Their multi-ethnic and multi-lingual state which should be a cause of pride and a means of strengthening their internal ties is actually the source of their differences and feuds. Instead of working united for the benefit of their state, the minorities have been fighting for separation, such as Tamil tigers in Sri Lanka, Sikhs in India and the Pakhtuns in Pakistan. The divided people coupled with ineffective corrupt government’s forms the major reason of the under-development of this region. The governments that these poor countries have are usually ill suited to the task of running a country, and are also dishonest and disloyal towards their nation. Instead of tapping the resources of the country and develop it to its potential, these politicians and leaders busy themselves in filling their own pocket and turning a blind eye and a deaf ear towards the people and the problems of the country. The corrupt government is the reason for corruption being present in most institutes of these countries and as well as it seems a characteristic present in a great portion of the local people. South Asian countries have their irreplaceable place in the history and the geography of the world. This region has a great potential to improve, if only it is properly worked for.

Globalization...

Globalization happens to be one of the most interesting phenomenons that shape our lives today. It basically means the crossing of boundaries that were once created to separate. Globalization creates a global village that brings people together, countries together and simply makes the world a boundary free world. However the debate remains whether globalization is indeed a benefit to this world or simply a blanket cover for making the rich richer.

Globalization helps us by bringing the world closer. The gap between cultures and languages is closed and a much more synchronized state of living is organized. However, critics argue that this very synchrony tends to over shadow the weaker cultures or those that are not very proliferated. One culture emerges as the stronger one to over shadow and eventually infiltrates the weaker culture leaving it no longer the same and simply a part of history. Thus we see the polarization of the western culture and an eastern culture with no specificity in between that once littered the world.

Apart from that globalization has succeeded in making trade easier. What was once only available in one part of the world is now a worldwide commodity. There is no longer sovereignty in trade and being the jack of all trades is a much easier option. While this point may prove that globalization has indeed worked some magic, on the other hand this very diminishment of trade barriers had led to first world countries having the upper hand in trade and finance all the time. Smaller nations, who once capitalized on their own special trade items, are now unable to earn their due place in the world market due to homogeneity.

Also while globalization may have brought countries together, it has given the powerful nations a chance to freely infiltrate weaker nations and dictate their policy. Globalization has in a way legitimized the interference of nations amongst each other. This policy is detrimental to smaller nations that need their own space to grow. Instead they are manipulated for the interest of powerful nations.

Conclusively, globalization while removing boundaries has crippled the world of its differences which were once celebrated. 

Globalisation...

Globalisation as a social policy phenomenon has added a new paradigm to politics, economics and international relations. Competition and intercountry relations have drastically changed. 

More competitve industries; as the competition increases, efficiency also increases benifiting the economy and consumers with a variety of goods to choose from with higher added value. Improved lifestyle of standards of living; As variety of goods and quality increases, this also increases the standards of living of individuals.

Flow of capital investments; seeking new buisness ventures, hot money can flow into the economy to use the resources; minerals, diamonds etc. This brings the economy some benefit.

Green energy;  The use of eco-friendly tools is encouraged as groups internationally stand by and fight for these anti-eco friendly chemicals.

 Outsourcing  of labour; 3^rd world countries gain employment as it becomes cheaper. This is another way of increasign the economies labour force.

 Cultural exchange and acceptance; Media and other sources encourage the culture and heritage this way the countries intrinsic value also increases.

Technological transfer and advancements; With time, technology advances and leading companies send their teams to update in return of efficient means of production. This aids lowering cost and increasing profits.

With all these advantages, we also have to face many drawbacks too. Some of which may be;

 Soveignty of government

   Interference into international affairs;  Countries that have little say also have the right in the UN and thus it causes complications to a simple dual country issue.

Import of luxury items; Economies like Pakistan, has lower local produce and imported goods causes more money to flow out of the economy. This eventually is bad for the economy.

 Interdependence of  fragile structure of economy

 Unemployment; Countries that outsource increase unemployment in their economy, and this causes a lot of redundancies.

Globalisation – The Pros and Cons of the Global Village

We have come to a platform where the word ‘globalisation’ comes under
attack from all, varying under the social context of who its being
told to. The reason is simple. It is ignorance that forces someone to
judge that which they do not know. If you are to evaluate or assess
something, you must know what it is, what it entails and everything in
its reach.
The founding’s of Globalisation were based on a pure intention.
Because it really is not something enforced or shelved out, but rather
is an inevitable state showing the constant changes of our world, “It
is a term used to describe the changes in societies and the world
economy that are the result of dramatically increased cross-border
trade, investment, and cultural exchange”.
Personally speaking, I have more negative points about globalization
than positive. For the sole reason, that it enforces capitalistic
material ideals on people and promotes this specifically western type
of lifestyle. Im not saying there’s anything wrong with adopting
foreign values but they should be ones that are positive for the
outlook Of the nation and not vice versa. Globalisation allows
countries with a stronger industrial power to utilize the large, cheap
labour of the third world countries, and burdens their own local
produce.
On the other hand, it allows people from developing countries to
compete with the rest as an impetus for progress. It also gives way to
more employment opportunities that way.
I am not saying that globalization is a negative turn of events in
this time. I just propose that to lessen the burden it puts on third
world countries (often the victim of its consequences) certain
compromises and cooperation need to be made to make it a safer and
less volatile state for them.

Pros and Cons of Karachi Society...

Pros and Cons of Karachi Society

It’s said that one can judge a society and the nature of it’s people from the way it’s traffic goes about. That means not only if the traffic follows the rules of the roads, but also how the traffic goes about and how the people react to each other within the traffic. So let’s apply this concept to Karachiites and see the “unwritten” rules that the citizens of Karachi follow while in traffic.

RuleNo.1

Don’t ever look back. Rear view mirrors are back, just concentrating on what’s in front of you.

We see this happening among the people who fail to look to the past to learn anything. People just look toward the future without looking back and learning from the past. Everyone wants to concentrate on getting ahead without any consideration for the people that are behind them.

Rule No.2

Honk a lot. It’s the only way you’ll get your way.

This means that people love to talk, talk about what’s going wrong, whine about issues and problems. But nobody is willing to get up and actually do something about it.

Rule No.3

The best car rules the streets.

The people who are the most well dressed, prettiest and most presentable are the ones that rule the stage. Those who lack looks sometimes don’t get as far as those with looks go.

Rule No.4

Money can break the rules.

Karachiites, along with the rest of the Pakistanis, know that they can get away with any rule with money.

Rule No.5

Be impatient. Your right always comes before anyone else’s.

People believe that they come before everyone else. Whether it is those who deserve more, it doesn’t really matter. As long as they’re getting out of any mess safe, it’s all good. If they’re stuck, then everything else must go down.

Globalization...

Globalization is a phenomenon that is affecting the world over, whether it be a small developing country somewhere in Africa, or a super power, well established developed country like the US. But what is globalization? Simply defined, globalization is the process of fast paced communication. Today, we see that one can easily talk to a person sitting in China or UK the same way in which we can talk to a person in our neighborhood. MSN, email, Skype, Facebook are all parts of globalization. In the same way, the fact that a person living in Karachi can go to a McDonalds for a Big Mac or have an account in HSC are also part of globalization because it means that we all have homogeneous products that the whole world can use. Now that we have a general concept on what globalization is about, let’s discuss short pointers on the pros and cons of it as well.

Pros:

• Free buying and selling between nations Increased.
• Worldwide mass media connects the world.
• Increased flow of communications by allowing information sharing between persons and organizations around the world.
• People are exposed to culture and because of this they can discovery new ways to improve themselves.
• Greater simplicity and pace of transporting goods and services.
• Companies have greater flexibility to operate across borders
• Decrease of cultural barriers give rise to global community effect
• Products or serves for selling have a huge market.
• Decrease the probability of war between developed nations
• World is now close and now every thing about one another
• Increased number of jobs world wide.
• One has a greater access to the world


Cons:

• Some people might lose their cultural traditions due to the existing ruling culture.
• As organizations want cheap labor so globalization increased transfer of skilled and non-skilled jobs to developing from developed countries. Thus, the greater developing countries become dependent on the already developed countries rather than becoming independent. The laborers are often also completely misused and exploited
• Spread of a worldly lifestyle and approach International figures like the World Trade Organization violate national and individual control
• Greater risk of viruses being transferred accidentally between nations.
• Because of Globalization Human resource control and span increases as well. 

South Asia, The star studded region with its own strengths and weaknesses...

South Asia is an important part of the continent Asia. Gems of people who are not only hardworking and dedicated in nature but are also the inheritors of rich culture and civilization which have roots embedded in loaded history. Its geopolitical location, rich natural resources, and cultural variety make it occupy an economic proposition in this world.

South Asia has its own strengths and weaknesses too, such as its rich in resources such as several land mines, wide seas, and trade links etc. which altogether occupy exceptional geographical locations, are positioned here. People living in South Asia are, be he Chinese, Indian or even Pakistani; are demanded all over the world because of their dedication and perseverance. Places like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Iraq or Iran; all are places which possess cultural diversity which altogether are exciting and colorful in their own sense.

But where we talk about strengths, we need to talk about South Asia’s weaknesses too. Firstly, we observe that South Asian society lacks unity, faith and discipline as quoted by Quaid-e-Azam. If there is turmoil in one country we tend to blame the other neighboring countries for any anarchy prevailing in any part of South Asia. We tend to think Big but practically do less, as in we do future plan but implementation is done on a snail pace. We see the problem of over population being very critical as we don’t have proper infrastructure and allocation of resources, then over population becomes a problem, and leads to an increases in illiteracy rate. And when illiteracy is so common, the illiterate masses lead to frustration and crime in societies, therefore the top most priority of South Asian societies should be to provide free and good education to the citizens. The main problem which I think that South Asian people have, is that South Asians lack self-confidence and have a sense of inferiority complex too, which do take roots from previously being colonized and we are still indirectly controlled by the West.

Therefore I feel if South Asian societies revive their culture and take the maximum benefit from their resources, and also work on the literacy and to provide basic necessities to the citizens without any corruption involved, then definitely in no time south Asia will take its mark of its own, and stand out to be the preeminent of all regions.

Job Creation...

Job creation is the process by which jobs are created in the sense that employment

opportunities are provided to the citizens of the country where this process of job

creation is carried out. In other words job creation is basically the provision of employment opportunities to the people of the country where job creation occurs. I think that job creation is the duty of the government of a country which has to provide jobs to its citizens by practicing different policies. I will like to mention two types of policies in this article which help governments in creating jobs. These policies include economic policies and security policies. All these policies have to be executed by the government in a manner that employment is generated for its citizens. I think that the economic policies for the provision of jobs and creation of employment opportunities include the promotion of tourism by the government in it’s country. Promotion of tourism here means investing in the tourist industry for improving the tourist spots by building motels that can provide residence to tourist and by building infrastructure in the areas that have not become tourist spots because of lack of facilities. I think that promotion of tourism by means of investing in tourist industry can provide employment opportunities to the indigenous people of the tourist areas as the building of infrastructure and the building of motels will require labor so jobs will be created and I think that here the government should provide these jobs to the local people.

Not only jobs would be created in this manner but I think that jobs of tourist guides will be created as tourist would come to those areas after motels and infrastructure building. Another economic policy by which employment can be generated is that the government should encourage the inflow of foreign direct investment into economy of  the country .By inflow of foreign direct investment I mean the inflow of  investment carried out by multinational companies which help in creating jobs as when multinational companies set up their production units in a country they create employment opportunities for the local people which are useful for their operations as local people are aware of local conditions and environment. I think that the government can encourage the inflow of such foreign direct investment into the country by making policies that attract multinationals as the government can provide tax incentives to multinational companies and build infrastructure for providing facilities to multinational companies.

Now I will like to discuss the security policy that can help in job creation. By security policy I mean the policy that focuses on the law and order maintenance in the country. I think that the government can also create jobs for its citizens by law and order maintenance as I think for providing jobs investments in the country need to be made secure to prevent the outflow of investment from the country. By securing investments I mean that government should be able to maintain law and order in the manner that violence is eliminated from the country.                                                                                                                                             

Globalization...

Globalization is the process by which world is transformed into a single global village in the sense that different parts of the world are connected to each other and are dependent on each other because of political, social and economic factors. In other words globalization is the social, political and economic transformation of the world that has made the world a single global village. I think that globalization has been caused by social, political and economic factors because different countries or parts of the world are connected to each other or are dependent on each other for mutual benefits as now in this world no country can survive without relying on other countries in one way or another. I think that globalization has three basic features that are social, political and economic features.

Nowadays the world has become a global village as we can see that International trade is being carried out between different countries of the world which import and export goods to each other and invest in each other’s economies for economic gains. This is an economic feature of globalization. Another feature of globalization is the existence of media that has connected the world by transferring information from one part of the world to another part of the world. This feature of globalization is a social feature. Another feature of globalization is the war against terror which is being fought by an alliance of countries that are engaged in military cooperation with each other. This feature of globalization is a political feature.

Now I will like to discuss some advantages and disadvantages of globalization. I think an advantage of globalization is the improvement in the standard of living of the people of the countries that are engaged in globalization as when there is an inflow of investment into a country’s economy in the sense that when a multinational company invests in a country by starting it’s operations, employment is generated which improves the standard of living of the people that get employed as they now earn income .Another advantage of globalization is that it increases the consumer’s choice of buying goods and services as consumer can buy local goods in addition to imported goods. Another advantage of globalization is that it has played a role in improving the quality of the goods and services in the world as globalization encourages specialization as when trade is carried out, countries engaging in it focus on producing those goods which are best suited to there resources as they import other goods from their trading partners. This leads to an improvement in the quality of the goods and services in the global world. A disadvantage of globalization is that it can destroy the domestic industries of the country as an inflow of high quality foreign goods can lead to a decrease in the demand for locally produced goods especially in the developing countries. Another disadvantage of globalization is that it can lead to language and culture loss in developing countries, the people of which are interested in adapting the language and culture of developed countries as we can see westernization taking place in Pakistan.

Globalization for Pakistan...

In my opinion, globalization is one of those phenomenons which can be experienced but not adequately defined in words. We all have a general idea that globalization is happening but explaining what that means becomes sort of complicated. One of the most important phenomenon of globalization is the shortening of time required (for literally anything).

Whether globalization is good for Pakistan or not will not be an easy question to answer at any level in any aspect. We can simply realize that globalization has both pros and cons for a country like Pakistan. Pakistan, at the time of its inception and for quite a large period afterwards, was an agriculture based country. While the western countries benefited from industrialization, Pakistan was stuck in discussing how should the land be utilized “best” for agriculture. But then soon enough, in a matter of decades, foreign industries began helping Pakistan get the wheels of industrialization oiled (previously they were stuck because of the lack of professional “oiling”). Finance, skills and culture; everything that Pakistan didn’t have, began to flow into the country. Oops did I say culture? I meant “respectable” culture. Or “follow able” culture. Or “something to be proud of” culture. Yeah these types of cultures began to flow in along with the paisa and the technical skills. These helped in improving the standard of living of the Pakistani people (?) and provided them with a better lifestyle (previously they had a “butter” lifestyle). Hmm along with this, a “few” luxury goods also began to be introduced in the country. But whether that was beneficial for Pakistan or not depends on whether you could afford them or not.

Globalization also affected the sovereignty of the Pakistani state. Super powers of the world do not need to be in the country any more (like the poor British had to be) to control the country. Well they don’t control the whole country; they just control the political, economical and social aspects of the country and leave the rest for the local “government”. In all the other aspects, the Pakistani government and the people are completely free to live their lives as they want. No (international) restrictions whatsoever.

Due to globalization, the foreign industries and financers blessed Pakistan with some portion of their hard earned wealth (because Pakistan is so cute!) and this generated employment and thus rozi for the Pakistani people (something that the government had forever been unable to do for undefined reasons). But since our local “industries” weren’t prepared for this foreign disguised attack; the local industries began to close down and thus balanced the employed and the unemployed. The huge industries set up by skilled foreigners (and later by the Pakistani people) produced pollution which affected the natural balance of the country. The fishes complained of dirty water in both the rivers and the seas and began to threaten the people with poisonous food supplies. But pollution wasn’t a problem for the people as such. Why? Well because the educated people of the country feel that pollution is a personal matter and should not be discussed at a societal or state level (so the next time you are bothered by the smoking area anywhere; feel free to stay in your smoke free home!)

While globalization helped in transferring technology in the country, the brain to understand the technology was either kept out of the country (if it was already out of it) or was attracted (through huge money and men/women magnets) out of the country. Also it is becoming an established fact that the “worthy” technology has to be stolen (with northern help preferably) rather than waiting for it to be “gifted” because then it is usually delayed (by only 10 years or so).

But the biggest advantage that globalization has had for Pakistan is the identity crisis! How so? Well because now we at least realize that we do have an identity crisis and that (may be) we want to have an identity!

The term Globalization...

The term globalization refers to the world becoming a global village, where countries interact with each other. This integration can be political, cultural, economical or social. The countries work together and this increases interdependence between them. Some of the major advances that have made communication easier are the ease of accessibility to the internet and the increase in telecommunications. Methods like video conferencing have enabled people who live miles apart, to keep in touch with each other. This is the reason why there are many advantages of globalization, but like every other phenomenon globalization has disadvantages too.

Globalization increases the chances of trade; hence there is a great variety of products available for the people. This gives a boost to the production sector and thus creates employment for a large number of people. The globalization of mass media makes flow of information between the countries much easier and faster. There is also an increase in the liquidity of capital which allows developed nation to invest in developing nations. An ease in transportation also helps in the fast flow of goods and services. From a political and cultural point of view, it promotes democratic ideals and reduces cultural barriers. The level of interdependence between countries is high, so the chances of nations going to war are also eradicated.

Apart from the advantages, there are also some negative impacts of globalization which can be very harmful. For example the developed countries can exploit the cheap labour from developing countries. Conflicts and disputes can take place between nations, over the distribution of resources, which in turn disrupts peace and stability. Thus in my opinion globalization is a phenomenon that can benefit nations around the world, but its disadvantages should not be ignored and something should be done to overcome these discrepancies, and improve the flow of wealth between the developed and the developing nations.

Sufism, a spiritual bridge to the Middle East...

Most Americans, if asked to name their most immediate associations with Islam and the Middle East, would unhesitatingly reply with words like "terrorism," "fundamentalism," and "fanaticism." From the drama of the Iranian hostage crisis of 1978-9, to the frightful tyranny of Saddam Hassam in Iraq, to the tragic list of victims in the Israeli-Palestinian hostility—the list of negative media impressions seem to be endless. Yet at a time when the U.S. government has been in a sharply hostile relation with Iran and other Muslim countries, an unofficial cultural encounter of profound proportions has quietly been taking place. A thirteenth-century Muslim mystic, Jalaluddin Rumi, is now the best-selling poet in America. The question comes that how has this Persian Sufi poet managed to touch the soul of the West?

For over a thousand years, Sufism—the mystical aspect of Islam—has been a major factor in the lives of most Muslims. HeshmatollahRiazi, a former professor of philosophy and theology in Iran, believes Iran is home to the largest number of Sufis in the Middle East. The Sufi orders emerged in the Middle East in the twelfth century in connection with the development of Sufism of seen in the middle east in the era of twelfth century, which gave people an insight to a mystical current of Religion, and reactions to the strongly legalistic orientation of orthodox Islam. The sudden prominence of Sufism in the West coincides with the startling explosion of interest in spirituality and mysticism that has occurred in the late 1990s and Iranian Sufis say Islamic mysticism has become more and more popular in the country in recent years.

Sufi mystical literature is becoming a medium of communication especially between Middle East and West, giving Middle East its own recognition in spirituality and religion. As seeing the the current state of Middle East together with its own political problems, has resisted the best efforts to be exerted by statesmen for decades. The politicians are predicted to continue dominating the news as part of the endless struggle for power. But beyond these media stereotypes, and on a much more intimate level, Sufism is now taken as spiritual bridge to the Middle East, bonding people from different areas of the World, on the same ground of attaining mystical knowledge.

Globalization-The buzzword

Globalization is the catchphrase of today. We see in this contemporary era, how the economies of the world are getting more and more integrated. Inventions like Cell phones Mobile phones and Internet are said to have brought an end to communication barrier and eventually have brought the people closer, all over the globe. The world is becoming a smaller place or in other terms a global village. But as every new thing or incentive has its own pros and cons, similarly even this globalization era has brought forward its own benefits and drawbacks.

The arguments which we find from the people who seek positive aspects in globalization are that globalization has created the concept of outsourcing effectively such that work can be outsourced to any part of the world that has an Internet connection. Because of improvements in traffic and through road and rail network, one is able to reach one’s destination in a relatively short span of time. But people who oppose to the idea of globalization say that the benefits of globalization are not universal. We see through globalization, there is concentration of wealth in few hands, and the rich are getting richer and the poor are becoming poorer. And this has led to exploitation of labor too. Also in this era of globalization, the word “terrorism” is on its mount and Terrorists are said to have an access to urbane weapons enhancing their ability to impose chaos in the world, and that also through using the Internet. Also, there is also an increase in human trafficking.

All in all, the future foretells us that Globalization is a tool that should benefit all sections of mankind. One cannot ignore its negative consequences but if worked out in an effective way, then globalization can be used for the world’s peace and prosperity.

How can we improve the current education policy?

Pakistan currently suffers an economic downturn with several other factors that act as an obstacle to the economy and the economic development, education being the most devastating factor has hit Pakistan massively. According to different sources Pakistan’s literacy rate varies from 10% to 30%. The state declared 30% includes those who can just write their name while another source says the literacy rate to be 10% that includes 2% of English literate people.  This is probably because of parallel education systems that created a huge diversity in the education system. There is no such standard with which education is provided to the residents of this country. The three most recognized systems in Pakistan can be labeled as

• ·         English medium system
• ·         Urdu medium system
• ·         Madrassah system

The diversification in education has created paths. Graduated students from each of the system are treated differently by the society and the economy, there is no standardization and thus the educational sector suffers a massive loss. The educational budget every year is 2%, which includes grants to ghost school, corruption and last but not the least, the ministries. Everyone benefits from this small chunk of budget allotted to the educational sector. Madrassah systems belong to a conservative part of the society and majorly institutions in this category provide free
education (along with
accommodationin many cases). Madrassah’s in Pakistan enjoys a huge and strong political backing and thus the state recognizes all these religious institutions.

We propose that schools and all the educational institutions should have all the three systems and one should be free to choose which one to pick as his/her career. The systems should have the same standard and unification and government should be responsible to moderate these institutions and make sure they function in
a
way they are meant to. We can never have an ideal system but at least we can strive to make an ideal system. Non-state actors should step forward and take the responsibility in improvising the current education policy in Pakistan. Foreign education should be provided to everyone be it rich or poor and government should play its role and subsidize education as this is one of the integral part of the economy. The budget in terms of money should not be given to the institutions directly but the government should make sure the amount is used fairly and accommodated where it is most desirable. Class conflicts should not exist in the educational system but instead when a person graduates from whichever institutions he should be looked upon the same way as compared to a student who graduated from a comparatively expensive institution.

The government should look upon the issue of education more seriously as this is a resource where a country produces its assets from, its resource that the country can benefit from in the future. Pakistan may prosper if its literacy rate is increased and education is considered to be the more fundamental part of the economy rather than a money making business. Authorities need to take action and work on the existing policies so that the upcoming generations benefit from it.

Important Notice...

The final paper will consist of 4 questions, carrying 10 marks each.

Question1: The film review (Rann) and the conspiracy in the movie

Question2: Globalization (as in the blogs/ Blog #4)

Question3: Policy suggestions (as done in class e.g. creating jobs, education policy etc) each group has to prepare the policy he/she was given.

Question4: Research and making of your documentary
Question5: Recommended your own social Organization and how will you come up with it?

The class was supposed to submit 5 blogs. These blogs are worth 2 marks each.

Blog number	Blog topic
Blog#1	Karachi Society
Blog#2	Middle-Eastern Society
Blog#3	South Asian Society
Blog#4	Globalization
Blog#5	Policy paper (In groups)
-	-

Deadline:

Task	Date	Lecture no.
Blog Submission	21st March 2011	Lecture no 11
Documentary submission	04th April 2011	Lecture no 13
Documentary Presentation	11th April 2011	Lecture no 14
Final Exam	18th April 2011	Lecture no 16
-	-	-

Note:

Blog submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

What is Globalization?

We often discuss this term ‘globalization’, but really what is globalization?

Globalization is not merely a concept or a policy but is a phenomenology and a process by which world is becoming a global system.

Globalization creates this global village in which consists a notion that through mass media and communication everyone knows everything about everyone living in this world. However, as there is a media hegemony existing in which the perspective of those in power is more dominant than any other; we can assume everything that we are told through media is not true about everyone. However, this media also brings positivity in globalization as the concept of ‘global support’ is emerged. This is a unified supporting system, which is people around the globe can come together and unite for a cause, whether it is a local or a global cause, for e.g. Green energy.

However, with this emergence of global village, there has been an increase in the competition in the global market too. Global economy has emerged in which countries are seen to be globally connected to each other and are interdependent on each other, for e.g. in imports and experts. This also reduces the chances of countries going to war with each other as they would realized the consequences of such an act and risk their interdependence on each other for their economy.

 However, from another perspective we see third world countries are becoming dependant on first world countries, which is the ‘dependency theory’. This is the reason there are so many multinational companies opening up in developing countries, even though they employ labour but it is usually unskilled and hence outsourcing of skilled labour may occur; thus, resulting in rich countries going richer and poor countries going poorer.

Overall, even when we see that there is an overall improvement in the standard of living of people around the globe but we see a greater discrepancy in the distribution of wealth among these people.