Globalization

In an interconnected world...

...Of vast disparities between rich and poor
Of escalating damage to the ecosystem
Of the power of the few dominating the lives of many
Of exotic species (dandelions!) and military forces (!) that keep ending up where they don't belong
Of conflict over cultures, religions and economics posing risk to all
Of great opportunities for cultural, religious and economic cooperation for the betterment of all.

...what's a Christian to do?

Globalization-our definition

Globalization: The flow of things material and immaterial (raw materials, people, goods, services, ideas, technology, culture, environmental impacts) across national, cultural and ecological boundaries, and the forces (military, economic, political, religious) that determine the direction of and terms for this flow. An outcome of the globalization process has been a sorting of the world's people into the "core" (people, nations and corporations who benefit the most) and the "periphery" (those who benefit less, not at all, or who are damaged by globalization-including the planetary ecosystem). The globalization of environmental impacts (global warming, over-fishing of oceans, spread of toxins, human-introduced exotic species, etc.) is a little-noted but serious outcome of the globalization process.

Hearing Voices

A critical first step is to learn how globalization is affecting those at the margins of global society.

Listen to the voices of these people who speak up for those at the periphery.

• Fatima, illiterate single mother of four--and laborer in the coffee fields of El Salvador
• Vandana Shiva, Indian activist concerned over control of agricultural production, water and other aspects of the global commons by multinationals
• Walden Bello, Philippino writer and speaker decrying the "new colonialism" represented by globalization, along with other voices from the "Global South"
• John Perkins, former "economic hitman" for international lending agencies, tells all the dirty little secrets of global finance

Key issues

Sweatshops

These infamous off-shore factories earn big bucks for the corporate headquarters, but rarely pay a living wage to the 43 million people worldwide who work there. Read all about it at NCP's No Sweat page. 

Trade-Free and Fair

Learn all you ever wanted to know-and more-about Free Trade, Fair Trade and Globalization at links off this site: http://www.planetfriendly.net/trade.html

Agricultural Subsidies

These payments by Rich World governments to their own farmers undercuts the livelihood of Poor World farmers by flooding the world market with underpriced products like cotton and grain, and often causing widespread displacement of farm families to the city or as illegal immigrants to the United States

Debt Relief

While rich nations send $55 billion in aid to the world's poor nations every year, the poor nations are sending $300 billion back to the rich nations as debt service. Learn all about it at: http://www.debtweek.org/ and http://www.jubileeusa.org/

Foreign Aid

Even as the Rich World provides over $50 billion in foreign aid to the Poor World every year, much of this assistance comes with strings attached, actually harms the economy of the recipient nation, and/or is designed to "aid" Rich World farmers and corporate interests

Trade Agreements-winners and losers

CAFTA, NAFTA, AGOA, WTO-trade agreements and the agencies that set the rules for world trade. Make sense of it all at: http://www.citizen.org/trade/ and www.tradeobservatory.org

Corporate behavior

Of the 100 largest economies in the world-including nations-51 belong to corporations. And like nations, corporations are pretty much focused on what's good for them-and their shareholders. Groups that monitor corporate behavior: National Labor Committee www.ncl.org, Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility www.iccr.org and CorpWatch www.corpwatch.org

God's earth-not for sale!

The planet is being victimized by the global reach of corporations and rich-world consumers. Find out all about it at: http://www.worldwatch.org/ and http://www.newcommunityproject.org/careforcreation.shtml

Do somethin' about it!

• Congress is considering legislation to put people and planet before corporate profit--email your Rep today!
• There is little substitute for first-hand knowledge of the impacts of globalization on our neighbors. Visit them through an NCP Learning Tour or trips organized by groups like Global Exchange
• Make daily decisions like buying coffee, produce, and other consumer items with your global neighbors in mind. Visit the NCP Store for fair trade handcrafts; make the choice to buy fair Trade coffee, tea, cocoa: www.equalexchange.coop; find fairly-made brands of clothes: www.responsibleshopper.org; spend your food money locally rather than supporting Big Ag: www.csacenter.org
• Support outside-the-system groups working at justice and economic empowerment for those left out or pushed aside by globalization. Check out the National Labor Committee www.ncl.org and NCP's Justice or Just Us page
• Help those at the margins have a chance for a better life. NCP's Give a Girl a Chance program supports girls' education and women's development in poor communities, helping them avoid sweatshops or be trafficked by prostitution rings; Solidarity Workers live and work with poor communities
• The global economy is the driving force behind the loss of 25 million acres of tropical forests every year. NCP's If a Tree Falls... program preserves Amazon rainforest and replants deforested hillsides in Guatemala
• Join the Band! Be a part of a group of people committed to turning our world upside down, restoring dignity to people and sustainability to the earth

Globalization is not a new phenomenon-just think of Abraham and Sarah setting off for the Promised Land or Arabic numerals or the original settling of the Americas by migrants crossing the Bering Straight. Today, however, the forces of globalization reach farther and deeper than ever before, threatening native cultures and the ecosystem, and leading to vast and widening gaps between the rich and poor. The United States sits at the hub of the globalizing process, giving Christians in the US a special responsibility to learn what it means to love our neighbors as ourselves in this interconnected world. Take a stand. Raise your voice. Make a difference!