Tag: Globalization

Globalization And The Sex Trade

From time to time I get to read some research papers from grad students mostly those that pertain to international relations.

Two years ago I did a series on women and the sex trafficking for my op-ed blog, Gulf South Free Press…….read the series here with the final part that can give one the whole series……https://gulfsouthfreepress.wordpress.com/2018/08/02/solutions-conclusion/

With that intro in the bag…..this research paper covers the effects of globalization on the sex trade…..

Siddharth Kara, among others, claims that sex trafficking is ‘one of the ugliest contemporary actualisations of global capitalism,’ and has been ‘directly produced by the harmful inequalities spread by the process of economic globalisation’ (2009, p.4; True, 2012; Jeffreys, 2008; Chang, 2016). This essay therefore understands economic globalisation in its neoliberal sense, and considers how the dominance of international financial institutions (IFIs) over this neoliberal narrative has helped construct and maintain a global capitalist system that entrenches the economic insecurity of Third World nations. The focus will be on globalisation’s contribution to the supply of sex workers. This first section will establish the link between Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs), which facilitated the advent of neoliberal economic globalisation during the late 20thcentury, and the deterioration of borrowing countries’ economic status to HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Country). The feminisation of poverty thesis will then be introduced, illustrating how IFI-induced poverty pressures women fromHIPCs, who are already economically disenfranchised by patriarchal and societal norms, into migrating for domestic work. Following this, the economic vulnerability of migrating will women will be explored from the perspective of traffickers, whose procurement costs fall as they can deceive women into the industry through false job prospects. The penultimate section will demonstrate how nations indebted to IFIs have been disincentivised to create and invoke strong anti-trafficking penalties, as the taxed remittances of female migrants finance this debt. 

Collectively, these arguments seek to demonstrate how the global capitalist system has stimulated the push factors of the global sex trafficking trade, thus amplifying its profitability. Moldova and the Philippines have been referenced as case studies due to their mutual experience of SAPs, and their religious social norms which have economically subordinated women.

https://www.e-ir.info/2020/08/14/assessing-globalisations-contribution-to-the-sex-trafficking-trade/

Globalization has done great things for a few…but has been disastrous for the many.

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Could It Happen Again?

That question is being asked on the day we Americans celebrate Armistice Day….could the world be plunged into that darkness again?

1914 the world thought that a form of “globalization” could prevent war……..they were wrong and we have been trying that experiment yet again and so it has not prevented any war that I am aware of….but here is Bloomberg’s take on this question……

Last month, I traveled to Vienna, the former seat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and a fitting place to contemplate the approaching 100th anniversary of the conclusion of World War I.

That conflict began with Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war against Serbia in July 1914, following the assassination of Austro-Hungarian archduke Franz Ferdinand. It ultimately led to more than 15 million deaths, the collapse of four empires, the rise of communism and fascism in some of Europe’s leading states, the emergence and subsequent retreat of America as a global power, and other developments that profoundly altered the course of the 20th century.

World War I was “the deluge … a convulsion of nature,” remarked Britain’s Minister of Munitions David Lloyd George, “an earthquake which is upheaving the very rocks of European life.” Although that conflict ended a century ago, it still offers three crucial lessons that are relevant to our increasingly disordered world today.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-11-11/100-years-after-world-war-i-there-s-reason-to-fear

Then there is the view of 100 years of a grand strategy by the US since the end of WW1…..

On November 11, 1918, World War One, the Great War, ended. Amid the chaos that followed—revolution, the fall of empires, and rise of nations—the United States attempted to build a rules-based world which favored freedom. American power had won the war, and President Woodrow Wilson was trying to shape a peace along the lines of what we now call a rules-based or “liberal” world order. Wilson’s Fourteen Points, presented the previous January, challenged the imperial, balance-of-power system of the European powers (on both sides) which had started the war, and at the same time took on Lenin’s revolutionary alternative. Wilson’s ideas were a rough draft of American Grand Strategy in what has been called the American Century.

http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/one-hundred-years-of-american-grand-strategy

World War One changed the world forever……but now did we actually learn anything from the barbarity and horror of that war?

I await your thoughts.

Closing Thought-06Aug18

Slavery is alive and well!

The US does more to support modern day slavery than most Americans know……support may be the worse word to use but it still tells the story.

A new survey on modern slavery around the world pegs the number of people in the US who fall into that category at about 400,000, reports the Guardian. The new Global Slavery Index also puts the number worldwide at 40.3 million and rising. While modern slaves in the US make up just a fraction of that figure, the group behind the survey—the Walk Free Foundation—says America plays a deeper role in the problem as the biggest importer of goods produced by suspected slave labor. The 2016 estimate was $144 billion worth of such goods. Other report highlights:

  • Worst offenders: North Korea has the highest concentration of modern slaves, who account for 1 in 10 of the population, or 2.6 million people, reports CNN. Then comes Eritrea, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Afghanistan, Mauritania, South Sudan, Pakistan, Cambodia, and Iran.
  • Women hit hardest: The vast majority of modern slaves, 71%, are women, reports Axios. The usual route is through forced marriages.
  • Solutions: The foundation calls for outlawing forced marriages, setting a minimum marriage age of 18, setting up a database of human trafficking cases, and bringing greater transparency to the world’s supply chain.
  • One victim: “Over 40 million people … they are not numbers,” says North Korean defector Yeon-mi Park, who escaped to China only to be forced into a marriage, per the AP. “It could be anyone. It was me. It was my mother. It was my sister. Even now, there are 300,000 North Korean defectors in China, and 90% of them are being trafficked. They are being sold by Chinese men for a few hundred dollars.”

Human trafficking is a blight on this world…..every civilized nation should be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

My week begins and Monday comes to an end….at least my posting…..be well, be safe….chuq

Economic Nationalism

Donald Trump came to the board room of power through what some are calling “economic nationalism”….the whole “Make America Great Again” smacks of this policy.

Economic nationalism is a term used to describe policies which are guided by the idea of protecting domestic consumption, labor and capital formation, even if this requires the imposition of tariffs and other restrictions on the movement of labour, goods and capital. It is in opposition to Globalisation in many cases, or at least on questions the unrestricted good of Free trade. It would include such doctrines as Protectionism, Import substitution, Mercantilism and planned economies.

Examples of economic nationalism include Japan’s use of MITI to “pick winners and losers”, Malaysia’s imposition of currency contols in the wake of the 1997 currency crisis, China’s controlled exchange of the Yuan, Argentina’s economic policy of tariffs and devaluation in the wake of the 2001 financial crisis and the United States’ use of tariffs to protect domestic steel production.

Ex-Trump adviser, Bannon, was a champion of this so-called policy…..the problem is that most of it is nothing but snake oil….a con if you will.

Former chief strategist and campaign manager Steve Bannon’s departure from the Trump White House surely does not mean an end to the demagogic racial politics in which Donald Trump has trafficked for decades.

It does, however, seem to mark the final eclipse of the notion that Trump would move beyond demagoguery and construct a vision of “nationalist” economic policy that would differ in a meaningful way from standard-issue pro-business Republicanism. Bannon, on his way out the door, appeared serious about this idea — phoning up progressive magazine editor Robert Kuttner to try to find common ground on trade policy and explain that “to me, the economic war with China is everything.”

Source: Steve Bannon’s “economic nationalism” is total nonsense – Vox

It Is Financial Colonialism

The big deal for the last 25 years, probably longer, is that phenom called globalization.  Most think it is some sort of financial benefit for those with all the cash…..and there are those that think it is a bane on mankind.

But really….what is it?

Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world.

But policy and technological developments of the past few decades have spurred increases in cross-border trade, investment, and migration so large that many observers believe the world has entered a qualitatively new phase in its economic development. Since 1950, for example, the volume of world trade has increased by 20 times, and from just 1997 to 1999 flows of foreign investment nearly doubled, from $468 billion to $827 billion. Distinguishing this current wave of globalization from earlier ones, author Thomas Friedman has said that today globalization is “farther, faster, cheaper, and deeper.”

This current wave of globalization has been driven by policies that have opened economies domestically and internationally. In the years since the Second World War, and especially during the past two decades, many governments have adopted free-market economic systems, vastly increasing their own productive potential and creating myriad new opportunities for international trade and investment. Governments also have negotiated dramatic reductions in barriers to commerce and have established international agreements to promote trade in goods, services, and investment. Taking advantage of new opportunities in foreign markets, corporations have built foreign factories and established production and marketing arrangements with foreign partners. A defining feature of globalization, therefore, is an international industrial and financial business structure.

Okay that hurt!

All that definition is just so much BS……in reality it is a financial colonialism.

About here it is perfectly fine to scratch your head and utter a ….HUH?

This is an interview with the author of a new book…….

The “have” nations increase profits for their corporations at the expense of grievously underpaid workers in developed nations. The developed nations call this globalization, John Smith argues in his book Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century: Globalization, Super-Exploitation, and Capitalism’s Final Crisis. In this interview with Truthout, Smith discusses his contention that globalization is just neocolonialism by another name.

Source: Globalization Is Just a Contemporary Word for Financial Colonialism

An interesting concept and makes sense if one takes the time to actually read the interview…

An Alternative to Globalization

Most everyone knows what “globalization” means……or do they?

Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world.

Trump seemed to be an opponent to globalization…whereas Clinton was a modern founding member…..but the election of 2016 is given us a possible alternative to globalization…..

Below link is to the Unz Review a bit of a Libertarian tilt…keep that in  mind when reading the article….

During his inaugural speech, President Trump clearly and forcefully outlined the strategic political-economic policies he will pursue over the next four years. Anti-Trump journalist, editorialists, academics and experts, who appear in the Financial Times, New York Times, Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal have repeatedly distorted and lied about the President’s program as well as his critique of existing and past policies.

We will begin by seriously discussing President Trump’s critique of the contemporary political economy and proceed to elaborate on his alternatives and its weaknesses.

Source: President Trump: Nationalist Capitalism, An Alternative to Globalization – The Unz Review

As it is today…will globalization be replaced?

Bringing Down the Globalist Monster

Since many seem to read a title and then think they know what the post is about…I thought I would try something different…..

Have you noticed that there is a new word that is making the rounds on sites like FOX and Breitbart and even some blogs…..the term is “globalist”….the alt-Right adores the use of labels…..Me?  If I call someone a moron it is not a label so much as an observation…..

To some it is referring to the expansion of globalization and to others it is an off-handed insult…….an insult for anyone that is not a faux conservative of today….

This article is a bit of a Libertarian look at globalization…..(sorry for the trickery)

The main issue in the world today is globalism versus national sovereignty, and it is playing out in the politics of countries on every continent.

In the United States, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s critique of globalism – encapsulated in his campaign theme of “America First” – has galvanized a mass movement opposed to the internationalism of the regnant elites, their transnational allegiances and their foreign wars.

In Britain, the opposition to the European Union culminated in a referendum which – against all odds, and against all the Powers That Be – repudiated the EU in a stunning blow to the political class.

Source: Bringing Down the Globalist Monster – Antiwar.com Original by — Antiwar.com

For a couple of years now anyone that would stand up to the GOP and its shitload of lies and platitudes has been labeled an “apologist”……

I wrote a couple of op-eds for my friends at Ace News room…the first one is the term “apologist”……

Source: Are You An “Apologist”? | Ace News Room

And then one about the off-handed insult of “globalist”…….

Source: Warning: The “Globalists” Are Coming | Ace News Room

I understand when some spout the crap about the UN as a tool for a one government world….I think they are mistaken….the UN could be a positive step in international relations but not before they eliminate the control of the Security Council by 5 nations…..

While I agree in principle to the push back against globalization….I do not like the term of “globalists”….I do not mind being insulted but at least get it right.

To “Brexit” Or Not To “Brexit”

This is one of those post that will not mean much to Americans for they are more worried about who pees where than anything happening across the “pond” unless it is about those darn refugees that are wringing their hands to come to the US…..

But there is a big debate going on in the UK about without they should stay in the Eu or not…..

This article tackles three issues: the impact of Brexit on Britain as a whole, both politically and economically; the impact of Brexit on the European project; and the impact of Brexit on British SMEs. This allows us to have a measured approach to British voters opting to leave the single market on the 23 June referendum.

Source: “Brexit”: The Real Threat to Globalization

Since today’s world must exist on globalization…..if the UK leaves the Eu what will be the end game….how will it effect global markets?

A British exit from the EU would make it harder to fight crime and terrorism, reduce Britain’s ability to lead and influence its partners, and weaken NATO – putting future generations of Britons at risk, according to a paper from the European Council on Foreign Relations.

After recent warnings from David Cameron and former NATO chiefs that “Brexit” would make Britain less secure, ECFR draws on interviews with top ex-security officials, regional experts, and five years of data on European foreign policy to weigh the arguments on each side.

“One Hundred Years of British Solitude: Magical thinking about Brexit and security” finds that, as the US steps back from its role as global police officer and the world splits into rival power centres, Britain will need its allies in Europe more than ever. The EU is uniquely placed to fight with the 21st century’s most powerful weapons – not guns and bombs, but sanctions, regulations, and trade regimes.

Source: One hundred years of British solitude: Magical thinking about Brexit and security | European Council on Foreign Relations

Americans will not have much to say about this situation….that is until it effects them in some way and then they will be full of shit ( sorry I mean opinions)…..until they they will scoff or just not care…..it is the American way, right?

I know not many Americans have any idea what is happening within the EU…..I am hoping that some of my Brit readers and others will weigh in on this subject.

Poverty: Mississippi’s Shame

I write about the conditions in my state, Mississippi……we are always at the top of the “worse” lists and the bottom of the “best” list…..healthcare…bottom, wages…..bottom, poverty….top…etc.

Regardless of what most state politicians want the world to believe there is NOTHING good going on in Mississippi for the people……

Take a trip through the Northwest part of the state along the Mississippi River…..you will see poverty like you have NEVER seen both….basically, if you did not know where you were you would swear it was a third world nation.

There are homes in the “Delta” that still do not have indoor plumbing….yes, I know…it is the 21st century……

These photos of today’s Mississippi Delta…….

 

I bring all this up because we were promised back in the early days of NAFTA that scenes like this would become a thing of the past written about only in history books…….

Globalization has been one of the worse ideas to fight poverty, especially in the South…….if anything it has made poverty even more brutal than before….

Source: Brutal Poverty in the U.S. South Is Caused by Globalization — and Statistics Don’t Make it Better | Alternet

Now we have another promise of less poverty with the new trade agreement….TPP….

You can write about poverty and its effects….but if you have never looked it in the face….then your opinions are worthless as the promises of better days.

 

Remember El Salvador?

Back in the 80’s and the Reagan admin there was much delight over El Salvador…….it was a proxy war for the US in their attempt to block the influence of Nicaragua, with its Marxist leader, from extending the “revolution” beyond its borders……I know I am old but I recall this situation vividly…….these were the CONTRAS….remember now?

But all the drama that went with our support and it played out….it played out in reality and in the media…..we had a couple of hearings that were just as humorous as they are today…..and then the 90’s appeared and a new direction……GLOBALIZATION……..the Clinton admin went into a frenzy to get all those free trade agreements passed…..for the jobs and the wealth and the (insert whatever you choose here)……..we can talk about that disaster at a later date…….

But in the 21st century the US is still interfering in the doings in El Salvador……….some things seldom change………

It seems the the US government is doing all they can to promote the privatization of industries in El Salvador…….

Unions in El Salvador are fighting a bill that would auction off everything from highways, ports, and airports to municipal services and higher education to private companies—mainly foreign multinationals.

The United States government, which helped draft the bill, is pushing hard for its passage. If the Public-Private Partnership, or P3, law is approved, workers in those areas will be vulnerable to the massive layoffs, wage cuts, and anti-union persecution that already.

According to economist and National University professor Raul Moreno, the increased foreign investment and privatization promoted under earlier U.S.-backed administrations have only worsened labor conditions and sent profits overseas. P3s, says Moreno, are part of a model that has already “demonstrated its failure in El Salvador and throughout the world.”

At the heart of opposition to the proposed P3 law are El Salvador’s public sector unions, who have been on the frontlines of the country’s labor movement for decades. In the face of a 2003 attempt to privatize health care, for example, 200,000 public health care workers and supporters poured into the streets and forced the government to abandon the effort.

Privatizations at the ports and airports in 2001 had similar results. Security, cargo, and cleaning services at the airport were all privatized. Today, those workers earn about $240 a month, while the unionized airport workers, a principal target of the proposed P3 law, have a minimum salary of $552 a month. At the Acajutla port, nearly 1,000 workers were laid off. Longshoremen’s daily wages dropped 90 percent, and their union was dismantled too.

The U.S. government is exerting ferocious pressure on the Salvadoran legislature to approve the law. Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte has even publicly threatened to withhold a multimillion-dollar development aid project if P3 is not passed.  (So much for the Obama Admin hates corporations)……….

This massive attack on infrastructure will do little to help El Salvador…..it will make some wealthy people more wealthy….and could lead to a massive upheaval like Chile in the 70’s……….or maybe that is the idea the whole time………after all we will have lots of military hardware laying around once we leave Afghanistan…….I know a stretch…..but ……….