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EDITORIAL
Globalization in the future
The world is heading toward
more changes in the ways of life, the ways of thinking, the production patterns,
and the methods of management of societal affairs, particularly with respect to
governance, administration, economics, sociology, science and technology. A
number of indicators are looming in the horizon, portending that mankind will
soon enter an epoch in which powerful nations will dominate the world, wielding
such weapons as top level expertise, immense capabilities, bountiful energy
sources, abundant natural and human resources, in addition to scientific and
cultural assets which entitle them to have a firm footing in the battlefield of
nations.
With this hectic pace of
change, peoples and nations will draw closer and closer to one another, while
the wills and interests of states and governments will overlap in an outstanding
way, for the world will resemble more and more to a global village. The rapid
progress occurring in the realm of new technology and information and
communication systems will lead to further mutations in the methods of knowledge
production, acquisition and transfer, which will inevitably impact on human
bonds, on relations between governments and states, and on the bases, means and
policies of exchange and co-operation among peoples and nations.
The 21st century will be a
stage for a new world marked by the dominance of science and technology, a world
in which economics will prevail over all human activities, and in which the
clout of globalization will be further enhanced, thus narrowing man's choice of
patterns consonant with his beliefs and tendencies. One of the fall-outs of
these deep, far-reaching mutations will be the raging conflict of creative ideas
and thoughts, with a direct impact on the daily life of humans.
These are some of the
conspicuous traits of the future, which, in reality, is the fruit of the
amalgamation of past and present experiences, for the future starts now, not
tomorrow. In the light of this objective perception of the future, the rational
man, who is able to harness his sound intellectual capacities to fathom the
relation between phenomena and their causes in a logical, elaborate way, this
man will be indeed able to explore the future, and know what he wants, what he
must do to achieve his goal, and how to avoid the obstacles lying in the way.
Can we, therefore, say that the
world is heading towards globalization, or that it has already entered the era
of globalization ? Or shall we say that globalization is actually the New World
Order ?
In reality, ever since the fall
of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the USSR, and the ensuing disintegration
of the eastern block, the world has been ushered in a new historical phase
unforeseen by any strategist or prospective researcher. Shall we, therefore,
build on this sudden change in international politics in order to forecast a
similar or more intense abrupt change in the political, doctrinal, economic,
social and cultural map of the world in the coming years ?
With this perception of the
future of mankind in mind, we can infer that globalization, or in other words
the unipolar world order, is inconsistent with the nature of things or with the
realities of human existence. This so-called system clashes indeed not only with
the natural disposition of humans, but it also runs starkly counter to the
divine law in the universe.
It is also inferred from the
foregoing that globalization, which all peoples may accept and interact with,
will not always remain the weapon of a dominant international ruthless power
that prevails over the fate of peoples and nations, but it will evolve,
according to the sound, judicious understanding of realities and indicators,
into a multipolar world order, in which peoples and nations will live in
coexistence, and the governments will cooperate among themselves, driven by
ethical principles and human values, or at least by a keen will to exchange
interests and benefits.
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