“Under globalization states are at the mercy of economic and technological forces which they cannot control. As a result, politics is much less important than it used to be.”

Question:

Opinion piece assignment: “Under globalization states are at the mercy of economic and technological forces which they cannot control. As a result, politics is much less important than it used to be.”

This assignment is modelled on �op eds��opinion pieces in daily newspapers. These typically appear on the same page as, or the page opposite, the editorial columns. They are �signed,� as opposed to the editorials which are unsigned and reflect the official view of the newspaper. They seek to persuade the reader of the accuracy or �correctness� of the point of view being presented.

You are restricted to a maximum of 500 words and should argue FOR or AGAINST the following statement. (No footnotes are required and do not include any direct quotations. However, list the 2 or 3 sources you found most useful in developing your opinion piece.

The opinion piece can speak in general or specific terms. It’s up to you whether you focus on particular examples/cases or on general/broad tendencies. Each strategy contains advantages and disadvantages given that the assignment can only be a maximum of 500 words. Thus no matter which strategy you pick, it should be well thought out and make good use of the small amount of space that you have to construct your argument.

Also, make sure to be clear and consistent with your argument.

Finally, “your opinion piece should … anticipate and deal with possible objections to the position for which you are arguing”

Also, make sure to be clear and consistent with your argument.

Finally, “your opinion piece should … anticipate and deal with possible objections to the position for which you are arguing”

Answer:

Title: Opinion piece

It is true that under globalization, uncontrollable economic and technological forces are becoming increasingly influential, making political appear less important than it used to be. Technological developments have brought about interconnectedness among nations. People of all countries interact with one another through the internet, creating a powerful platform on the information superhighway. In the context of this interaction, the borders of an individual nation-state are becoming increasingly irrelevant as barriers of trade between countries have virtually been eradicated. Opponents of this point of view, however, may argue that national politics will always remain relevant because it is the voice of last resort in an anarchic international environment.

One of the key elements of globalized states is economic liberalization. This liberalization is made possible by frequent changes in technology. Technological developments continue to empower people to share business ideas and eventually execute them, without relying too much on political forces (Held, 1993). In such a context, political structures do not seem very important, particularly in the international context, where anarchy reigns.

Today, the politics of one country cannot exert control on economic forces that are sweeping across the world. Even the United States, the world’s superpower, is no longer the dominant source of economic and technological developments. The politics of one superpower, therefore, cannot significantly influence the direction that the rest of the world takes in terms of economic development.

According to Croucher (2004), the international political regime has failed to keep pace with technological and economic developments that have characterized the process of globalization. The political actors both at the national and international levels appear overwhelmed by the dynamics of trade in a borderless world (Strange, 1995). The most desirable scenario would have been a situation where all nation-states join hands and embrace the new economic order. In such a situation, the countries would retain their collective political power to determine the rules of engagement in the process of development in the globalized world.

In traditional economic settings, political structures are used to facilitate the setting up of rules of economic participation by the citizenry (Gilpin, 2001). In the era of globalization, this is not the case anymore since these rules are easily flouted. Multinationals quickly relocate to those countries with fewer trade restrictions. To attract foreign investors, political players have to be permissive in terms of regulation. On the wider scheme of things, failure by an individual country to comply with international norms may lead to an exodus of both local and foreign investors. However, opponents may insist that the issue of compliance with rules of individual countries is a problem that can be corrected if countries exhibited the political will to do so.

In summary, it is evident that in this era of globalization, states will continue operating at the mercy of economic and technological forces that are beyond their control. Politics will continue being less important that it has traditionally been. Individual states have no choice but to swing alongside international economic tides or risk being left behind in terms of development.

References

Croucher, S. 2004, Globalization and belonging: the politics of identity in a changing world, London: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Gilpin, R. 2001, Global Political Economy: Understanding the International Economic Order, Princeton: Princeton University Publishers.

Held, D. (1993) Globalization and the Liberal Democratic State, Government and Opposition, 28(2), 261–288.

Strange, S. (1995) The Limits of Politics, Government and Opposition, 30(3), 291–311.

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