For centuries, globalization has increasingly knitted together the world and created unity out of great diversity. Coca Cola, Disney and McDonald's symbolize the process, along with Marlboro, Sony, Shell Oil and IBM. They are products known and consumed from Malakaji, Makassar, Jakarta, Hongkong to Little Rock - and also powerful companies that drive globalization forward, creating new laws, new business practices, new ways to eat and drink, new hopes and dreams. Optimists look forward to a global village, linked together by the internet, and benefitting from ever-increasing material well-being. Pessimists see a frightful corporate tyrrany destroying the environment, and sweeping away all that is healthy and meaningful to human existence.
What drives globalization today? Who are its winners and losers? How can it be controlled? The answers to these questions can deeply influence our political options. This page offers a brief introduction to the topic of globalization. We have selected a few of our favorite articles and web resources, for those who have not done previous work or research on the subject.
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