Thursday, June 6, 2019
Globalization and genocide Essay Example for Free
globalisation and genocide EssayThe twentieth century has seen a lot of inventions come into being, from the invention of the engine, to the manu detailuring of airplanes. Then in that location came the aspect of globalization. The beingness that was so large started shrinking on a daily basis until fin each(prenominal)y, borders seemed to pull in evaporated into thin air even between continents. Today, a person may be in London in the morning and in the evening he is in Washington. Communication has also been made easier and more efficient in such a way that you can talk to a person who is thousands of miles away, as if you argon talking to the person next door. The world has become a small alliance. Successes and failures However, there argon shortcomings that reach come with globalization. Lechner and Boli (2004) in their book The Globalization Reader argues that while there has been shortcoming of globalization be beget of the st rain it has exerted on the environment thereby degrading it. While the countries all over the world induce been working to see their economies develop, this has been at the expense of the environment. One of these ca mathematical functions of environmental degradation according to their argument is the destroying of the natural environment.Large tracts of forest covered land are destroyed each year leaving the land bare and in a few years no longer unproductive. This, they argue, is not the only cause of environmental degradation. Another cause is the releasing of harmful chemicals into the environment. Example is the Chernobyl nuclear accident. After this accident, there were many nuclear substances that were released into the environment and over the years have caused cancer. Fossil fuels have also contributed greatly to the destruction of the environment.While these have provided fuel for industries, carbon dioxide emissions has been on the rise thereby causing global warming. argon there ways and means to reverse th e current trends of environmental degradation in order to make secure our future? However, despite all this destruction, there has been an effort to try and slow down if not to completely stop the rate at which the environment is destroyed. Whereas the governments have not been keen enough to carry on the environment, Lechner and Boli (2004) argue that there are environmentalists who have rallied for conservation of this precious environment.In 1992, Rio de Janeiro Declaration on Environment and Development proposed that, for a meaningful development to be achieved, environment conservation must come first. There are also who have argued that for environment to be conserved especially in poor nations, the mystifying nations must cancel their debts since the small governments spend all their earnings paying debts at the expense of local development, thus forcing it hatful to solely rely on an already deprived land hence furthering the effects of environmental destruction. Others have used all their minerals on debts without caring much on the effects this has on the environment.There are also organizations that were formed to champion for the protection of the environment. Their call is on the political class to make their priorities right by spending slight on military and more on environment protection, not sightly for this generation but also for future generation. Issues of poverty have been cited as the biggest opposite to the protection of the environment. An example is of Mau forest in Kenya. While this forest has been the water catchments and the source of many rivers in Kenya, it faces the danger of being destroyed because of human activities.At the moment, part of the forest has been inhabited by people who are poor and then not willing to move out. The government of Kenya on the other cave in is also unable to settle these people elsewhere since it doesnt have resources. The neighboring nations namely Uganda and Tanzania face the same plight as Kenya and cannot help the Kenyan government yet these rivers drain in Lake Victoria which is shared among them. These activities that have affected a nation environmentally do not affect just one person. The Mau forest in Kenya is a good example.If the future of Mau forest is not solved, eventually, Egypt which doesnt even border Kenya will be affected since it depends on water from Lake Victoria through river Nile for its irrigation. Human beings faced the danger of extinction on a daily, more so from environmental degradation. Nevertheless, it is possible to have a better world. A world where pollution is controlled and excellent environment that is not contaminated is the ultimate choice for everyone. There have been meetings called by different people all over the world to fight for the right to live in a non polluted environment.An urge to have those that are considered the minority in the familiarity to participate in the process of policy making has been on the rise. Is it possible, when we are united together as a people, to fight for our environment? Genocide The effects of globalization have not been felt in the environmental circle alone. Social life in many places throughout the world has been altered because of globalization. check to Gellately and Kiernan (2003) examines the atrocities that have been connected against humanity, some among them committed by the civilized as they championed for globalization.For example, there were mass murders that were committed at Guatemala, sponsored by the US government. In this revolution, the Mayan community was massacred and the world kept mum. Even when as a commission to investigate these events was setup, their report did not reveal the motives behind these killings, and the people behind it. The Mayan people are not the only ones that have been affected. Yugoslavia in 1991 faced genocide whereby a minority group was targeted and massacred. Politics and cruelty has been the order of the day. Polit icians have been known to use people to get into position and then turn against these people.These acts of brutality are yet to end. Societies throughout the world still experience mass murders in their midst. Technology, which is supposed to ease the way life, is now being used against people. US is not spared either. kinsfolk 11 attacks proved that people are willing to go all the way to destroy others. While we may toy around with the idea of whether to reevaluate our stand towards globalization or not, we must always remember that a time is coming when we shall not enjoy the relaxation our beaches offer us as we do today.At that time, there will be no trees for our wildlife and therefore no rain. For countries in Sub Saharan Africa, this will mean that there will be no food since these communities have always depended on rain for their agricultural activities. Just as a reminder, that time is already at hand. We are already seeing the effects of globalization on our environmen t. Yet, the question we consider ourselves is, Are we ready to shove the idea of globalization beneath the carpet and look for a new alternative? Some of the greatest crimes against humanity were committed at a time when we considered the world to be on a highway to becoming one community with no barriers. That was in the mid 1990s, a genocide that left many dead with many other maimed. Yet, the global community never spoke a single word until it was all over. accord to Gellately and Kiernan (2003), these acts of brutality have often been sparked by oppression through the years by those who are powerful. After many years of oppression, those who have been oppressed pullulate their anger on those who are helpless and vulnerable and therefore cannot defend themselves.In the end, we witness the kind of crimes like those that happened in Rwanda (p 375). We cannot also ignore the fact that technological advances in warfare have also been the cause of genocides in our communities. Case s in point are the Nazis in Germany the use of poisonous gases against the Kurds in Iraq the September 11 attacks on US soil. These have all employed the use of technology to perpetrate crime. Thus, the globalization that was supposed to bring us together has also been the source of death and segregation in our communities.Are we as human being going through a transition that is changing us for the worse i. e. turning us against each other? Is globalization therefore the cause of genocide or a solution to eradicating genocide in the current world? Are we our own enemies?References Lechner, F Boli, J. (2004). The globalization reader. New Jersey, USA print by Wiley-Blackwell. Gellately, R. Kiernan, B. (2003). The specter of genocide mass murder in historical perspective. Cambridge, UK Published by Cambridge University Press.
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