It's a brave new world, globalization is inevitable, resistance is futile. There are many who are opposed to the ways of globalization. Some are anti-globalists, but most are more sophisticated alter-globalists. There is also plenty of hype, paranoia, mis- and dis- information concerning globalization and centralization of powers.
People can be intellectually lazy, I know, I happen to be one. We tend to look for simplistic answers and fall into camps for top-down or bottom-up solutions. There are few who take the time to dig for the deeper truths, appreciate the complexities and the deep roots of our systems. Fewer still are those who can outline reasonable solutions.
Conservatives tend to view human nature as inheirantly lazy and evil, needing strong central authority to maintain law and order. Liberals tend to view humans as inheirantly good with the problems we face caused by environmental conditions. It seems strange to me as I transcended the old nature vs nurture debate when I was still a child. Today, I think that the transcedence of dualism is a benchmark of higher philisophical development.
When we look at globalization, we should bear in mind the historical momentum that brought us here. Nobody has presented that better than Jared Diamond. We should also keep in mind the systems of polity, economy and technology that affect our world so profoundly.
Modern democracy is still young, waxing and waning in its spread around the world. There have been studies illuminating that no modern democracy has ever suffered famine and no two modern democracies have ever gone to war with one another. Some even belive that democracy is a panacea for war and famine.
Modern industry has become a force without parallel. More than one-half of the world's biggest economies are companies, not countries. These companies are transnational corporations and cannot be adequately managed by countries without the risk of capital flight.
When we look at the institutions that govern these beamoths, we see an accute lack of democratic principles involved. The UN and the WTO are among the most "democratic" of governing instutions, yet these organizations are more republic than democratic.
I'm not going to elaborate about the differences between the various types of democratic and republic systems here, but encourage the reader to do so at thier leisure.
I do want to impress upon the reader the imperative of time. We seem to be approaching some tipping points. The tipping point that most of us are familiar with is in the context of run-away global warming. The consequences of that are catastrophic. To the nay-sayers, I would like to point out that there have been many societies through history that have collapsed from similiar problems to that which we now face today.
I now suggest that there is another tipping point. A tipping point of polity in which humanity will gain or lose the collective will to adequately address our environmental problems. Problems of nuclear management, deforestation, marine depletion, pollution, unsustainable development, etc. are now global problems that will require a united humanity to solve in a civil manner rather than fighting over diminishing resources.
A good recent case in point is the Iraq War. The American public was duped by the propaganda, with a majority of people believing that Saddam Husain was connected with the 9/11 attacks. President quasi-elect George W. Bush admitted that the most difficult part of his job was convincing people about the connection of Hussien to the 9/11 attacks. Yet people were convinced despite a lack of solid evidence. Few people are aware of the other possible motives for US aggression against Iraq such as the speculations about peak-oil, petro-dollars and the industrial-military-complex having undue influence in US international policies.
There are many who dismiss conspiracy theories with knee-jerk reactions and who can blame them? If some of them are true it is more horible than our worst nightmares. It is foolish however, to live in denial. It is no wonder that the pharmaceutical industry has grown so enormously in recent decades. It is understatedly difficult to go about our day-to-business in light of the present dangers and problems. It is no wonder that those who do not medicate with the aid of legal perscriptions do so by other means.
Conspiracies exist, always have and always will. The official 9/11 story is itself, a conspiracy theory. Can anyone deny that the closed-door energy policy meetings run by Dick Chenney with Ken Lay were a form of conspiracy? One great example of a conspiracy was the altering of scientific documents by the White House. Considering the gravity of the situation, I consider that to be one of the greatest crimes in history.
Conspiracy "experts" such as Alex Jones do a great service to shed light into the deep collective shadows, but they may be doing more harm than good. They inspire fear and fail to offer solutions. They help to create dysfunctional anti-globalists rather than constructive alter-globalists. Fortunately there are those who shed light on matters of corruption in a more healthy manner.
If we do not participate in the development of healthy democratic institutions dedicated to the common good, then we will be subject to the less healthy forces of narrow interests. The telos of utopia and dystopia pull upon us all.