Points of View
There are two key points of view for the main two different opinions on globalisation, namely those who are for globalisation (supporters) and those against globalisation (anti-globalisation activists). This summary aims to explain the two different points of view of globalisation and weigh each sides point of view.
Globalism
People who support globalisation think that it benefits everyone overall and that countries benefit from it, in terms of economics. Countries like India and China have had a sharp decrease in their poverty rate due to globalisation and also improved in trade and living conditions. They feel it provides more job opportunities for people around the world and this greatly lessens the world’s overall poverty state. They also believe that this would benefit the third world countries in the financial ladder to become a first world country.
They also support globalisation mainly because of the fact that globalisation has indeed brought technological advancements, and improvements in the fields of Science and medicine have also been greatly and steadily improving, such as new treatments to terminal diseases.
In a course of six years, the Internet usage of third world countries, such as those of the Middle East and Africa, have increased 920% and 882% respectively {11}, whereas in North America and Asia it had only grown 120% and 346% respectively {11}. This can show that the digital gap between the globalised and the non-globalised countries is not widening, but instead is growing smaller.Globalisation has also made several milestones in history, with the Blue and Green Revolution occuring and benefiting more countries. This brought many benefits and roped in more supporters throughout the world, believing that globalisation is good as a whole.
Mundialism
Anti-globalisation activists feel that globalisation is unfair as it exploits the poor and brings benefits to the rich, and affect cultural practices. They also believe that the world is in danger due to factors like global warming, as more advanced technology would lead to higher carbon emissions, which is indirectly caused by globalisation.
Others also believed that “that geographical and climatic disadvantages have locked some countries out of global growth” {9}. Third world countries such as Africa, which are the ones losing out in the competition amidst globalisation, unlike bigger countries such as China and trading giants like America and Britain, due to the fact that the former is as advanced as compared to the latter.
They also reinforce the point that globalisation is causing more resources to be depleted at a faster pace, and that it is not environmentally friendly. It is backed up with substantial evidence, and indeed, globalisation has brought about certain problems for the environment too.
The anti-globalisation activists also believes that people in the richer, first world countries are too selfish, as they benefit much more than the people in living in poorer, third world countries. This has therefore led to the rise of anti-globalisation activists {10}.