Is Globalization a Solution?

Like many of mankind’s projects, globalization has proved both useful and harmful. It has brought economic advantages to some, and it has ushered in an era of global communications. Nevertheless, it favors the rich and the powerful over the poor and the needy. And both criminals and disease viruses have exploited the advantages of globalization more efficiently than governments.​—See boxes on pages 8 and 9.

To a large extent, globalization has magnified the problems that already existed in our imperfect world. Rather than offering a solution to the world’s difficulties, it has become part of the problem. Social divisions have become greater, and frustration has mounted.

[Box on page 12]

CONNECTED BUT STILL DIVIDED

While technology may have made the world smaller, divisions remain entrenched. Television, mobile phones, and the Internet have proved useful for connecting people but not for uniting people. Economic integration and the end of superpower rivalry have reduced the number of wars between States, but brutal civil conflicts continue to kill and maim hundreds of thousands of people every year.

Why? Because hatred between rival ethnic, racial, and religious groups​—the underlying cause of civil wars—​shows no sign of abating. And global businesses and crime syndicates make sure that plenty of cheap weapons are available to keep the warring parties well armed. True unity can never be forged by electronics. Nor does a boom in the stock market promote social justice.

In some ways economic globalization can actually contribute to disunity. When a recession follows a boom, impoverished people can become easy prey to extremist politicians who exploit economic grievances for their own ends. What is the solution? “National and global governance have to be reinvented​—with human development and equity at their core,” admits the Human Development Report 1999. That is precisely what God’s Kingdom will do.