What criticisms are made of globalisation? Think about the many anti-G8 and anti-capitalist marches that are reported on the news: why are these happening? What issues are bringing protestors onto the streets of cities around the world?

by arabfcgmailcom (student)

130011722 Robert Bickerstaffe

Globalisation has been occurring for many years, but it is in more recent times that we have begun to define it, and even more recently that criticism of it has grown, as some benefit, and others suffer. Vietnamese farmers may view globalisation as a force for good as it was not until the mid-1990s when they were able to sell their rice abroad, which enabled those farmers to rise above the poverty line (Pavcnik, 2009). However, Egyptian textile manufacturers are one example of those that are losing out as the cheap and abundant supplies from China are forcing them and many others into bankruptcy (Borrell 2006). Criticism of globalisation is only natural like any other issue that is not perfect in the world.

Growing criticism and protests of the world’s powerful nations resulted in the death of a protestor in 2001, when violence erupted at the G8 summit in Genoa (Observer, 2001). International protestors are angry as they feel summit outcomes often seem inadequate in relation to the issues facing them, and that their governments are doing little to represent them. The G8 may be far from perfect, and it's authority deteriorating (Lesage, 2007), but on issues such as poverty in Africa or climate change, only a block of extremely powerful countries could drive through sweeping global changes.

Global protests of late have focussed on the fact that the rich are getting richer, even though the poor are gaining more wealth too. The inequality between the rich and the poor is widening. In 1960, the top 20 percent of the world population had 30 times the income of the poorest 20 percent. By the turn of the century, this had increased to 75 times the wealth of the poorest (Shehu, 2004). The UN in 1990 a goal to halve the people in extreme poverty by 2015. A clear indication that globalisation is helping the poor is proven by ...

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The financial crisis of the late 2000s allied with inspiration from the Arab Spring (2011) has led to a series of protests around the world that began with an occupation of Wall Street by protestors. In the UK where the ‘Occupy’ movement had spread, the population has protested at issues including tax evasion by wealthy firms (Walker, 2011) and the growing inequality between them and the richest one percent of the country. Most of these protest camps have now been forcibly removed by the authorities, but this has certainly not dampened public opinion on the issues.

There is little doubt that much criticism of globalisation is justified, but there is no doubt that the world is a much richer place than in generations before. The majority of those who protest against globalisation are from the rich countries who have benefited most, and human behaviour shows that there will always be a voice of protest, no matter the issue. The criticism of globalisation and anti-capitalist protests has certainly had wider implications with bodies such as the G8 seeing their authority challenged. Governments have had to relinquish some issues over to the will of the people, but there is no doubt globalisation will continue, and the rich will get richer.

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