{"id":57,"date":"2023-08-07T18:33:32","date_gmt":"2023-08-07T22:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2023\/?page_id=57"},"modified":"2023-12-03T17:07:35","modified_gmt":"2023-12-03T22:07:35","slug":"global-upheaval","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2023\/global-upheaval\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Upheaval"},"content":{"rendered":"

PART V<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
Fascist street art, Mussolini’s EUR, Rome<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We now move our way toward the end of my story about the nation state. I devote this final section of our course to the meaning of a fuzzy term–Globalization<\/strong>–and its relationship to the Nation State<\/em><\/strong>. <\/em>We will considere some more themes related to the post-colonial world and then conclude by reflecting on all of the themes in this course.<\/p>\n

The term \u201cglobalization\u201d has become a terrible a cliche. Myriad universities and corporations have rushed to define themselves as \u201cglobal\u201d enterprises. I am uncomfortable with the concept because it is so vague. Morever, the conditions the term is supposed to capture are hardly new. If we define globalization as a massive expansion in contacts and communications  among peoples, greater interdependence, and the spread of new technologies, I\u2019m afraid that Genghis Khan (1162-1227 AD) and Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) would be offended by being excluded.<\/p>\n

This is not to say that “globalization” has no meaning.  Consider this manifestation of globalization and the coming together of the American fabric:  The Funeral of Knut Rockne and the American Experience<\/a><\/p>\n

To avoid the problem of stretching the concept to the point where it is useless, I will simply focus on a few contemporary ways in which the world has become, as they say, \u201ca smaller place.\u201d  I will begin with two popular mythologies about where we are and where we are going:<\/p>\n

     Global liberalism is rational
\n     Global violence is irrational<\/p>\n

In my final lecture, you will see that we have returned to the questions I raised on the first day of our course.<\/p>\n

38. LECTURE: Wednesday, November 29<\/strong><\/p>\n

Myth #1<\/em>:   \u201cThe spread of global liberalism is rational.\u201d  No, it\u2019s not always rational!  Its effects are often counterproductive and destabilizing.<\/p>\n

Assumption<\/em>:   People in the western world like to view themselves as the telos<\/em> (or inevitable destination) of humanity. In particular, they have a “evangelical” view of their mission: they associate the idea of \u201cglobalization\u201d with the  spread of their values.  However, it is sheer mythology to imagine that these values are uniformly appropriate for the rest of the world.  Ironically, even John Stuart Mill\u2019s classical conception of \u201cliberalism\u201d has become ossified.  As Weber would say, contemporary liberalism, or what goes by that name, is locked into an \u201ciron cage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Assignments<\/em>:  So, is globalization good or bad?  Or should we frame the question differently?\"\"<\/p>\n

Globalization and the Mythology of Coca-Cola   WATCH<\/a><\/p>\n

Benjamin Barber, \u201cJihad vs. McWorld\u201d PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

John Rapley: \u201cThe New Middle Ages,\u201d Foreign Affairs<\/em> (May-June 2006)   Go to the many online sources in the Hesburgh collection HERE<\/a> and look for Vol. 85, Issue 3.   PRINT AND READ<\/p>\n

Gordon Adams, \u201cThe French Colonialist\u2019s Global Comeuppance,\u201d Foreign Policy<\/em>, January 2015:  PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

39.  DISCUSSION: Friday, December 1. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The focus of this section relates to the long and winding road<\/a> back to where we began which I first introduced you to the nation-state.  The first two articles are essential reading for my final lectures.<\/p>\n

Has political history, as we have known it come to an end (see Fukuyama), or are we destined to experience serious trials in the future (see Brownstein)?<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

For this discussion, read only Fukuyama\u2019s Introduction and Sections 3 and 4.  However, read them very closely. Fukuyama\u2019s argument is complex. Plus, there are aspects of it that I find problematic.  Finally, in interpreting the essay, it\u2019s helpful to know that Fukuyama was a student of Samuel Huntington.<\/p>\n

Francis Fukuyama: \u201cEnd of History,\u201d National Interest<\/em>, Summer 1989  PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Ronald Brownstein, “Why the US ‘does not get to assume that it lasts forever'” PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

.
\nParagraph assignment<\/em>:  Let\u2019s say Fukuyama is wrong and the liberal democratic regimes, like the US, are not the end of history.  What is the most likely type of regime that will replace them, and why?<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

Your final essay assignment is HERE<\/a><\/strong>
\n.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

40. LECTURE:  Monday, December 4<\/strong><\/p>\n

Myth #2<\/em>:  \u201cGlobal violence is irrational.\u201d  No, it\u2019s often frighteningly rational!<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Reflections on one weapon of the weak: Terrorism and the rational roots of inhumanity.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
Street art, Belfast, Northern Ireland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Osama bin Laden: \u201cTranscript of Speech,\u201d Al Jazeera.com<\/span>, Nov. 1, 2004 READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Weiyi Cai,<\/span> \u201cAttacks by White Extremists Are Growing. So Are Their Connections,\u201d New York Times<\/em>, April 3, 2019 READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Julia Carrie Wong, \u201cThe physics professor who says online extremists act like curdled milk,\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, August 23, 2019 READ<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

.
\n<\/strong>\"\"41. LECTURE:  Wednesday, December 6<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reflections on liberal democracy:  My bias for hope
\n<\/em>
\nToday\u2019s As<\/em>sumption<\/em>: It\u2019s hard to be optimistic about the chances for global liberalism, especially as we struggle with the devastating consequences of a pandemic.  But it\u2019s reasonable to be hopeful.  It\u2019s also necessary.<\/p>\n

Assignments<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Consider this hopeful view from three decades ago. Once again, we hear from Samuel Huntington: \u201cDemocracy\u2019s Third Wave,\u201d  Journal of Democracy<\/em>, Spring 1991.  READ<\/a> (just get a general sense)<\/p>\n

Paul Tullis, “How Geert Wilders Won”: PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

The fairly hopeful view from today: Cas Mudde, \u201cIt\u2019s fashionable to say that democracies are dying,\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, January 28, 2018  PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

A hopeful analogy from the business world: Knowledge@Wharton, \u201cLew Gerstner\u2019s turnaround tales at IBM,\u201d READ<\/a><\/p>\n

And yet there\u2019s still a lot of work for us to do. See this Freedom House report on the state of democracy in the US:  READ\"\"<\/a> (just get a general sense)<\/p>\n

Vaclav Havel, \u201cNever Hope against Hope\u201d  RE-READ<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n
 <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PART V We now move our way toward the end of my story about the nation state. I devote this final section of our course to the meaning of a fuzzy term–Globalization–and its relationship to the Nation State. We will considere some more themes related to the post-colonial world and then conclude by reflecting on … Continue reading “Global Upheaval”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-57","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/57","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57"}],"version-history":[{"count":41,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/57\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":916,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/57\/revisions\/916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}