WILL CORONAVIRUS REVERSE GLOBALISATION?

5/4/2020

16 Comments

Post your thoughts about this article . These could be based on one or more of the prompts below:

What are the main threats to globalisation?
Do you agree that this is the end of globalisation?
Have you seen evidence to support/refute this article in Korea?
How do the ideas in this article relate to what we have studied?
This article was posted in the ‘Business Section’. From what you know about globalisation, is this appropriate? What other aspects of globalisation are there and how may they be affected?
Can you take the point of view of one of the perspectives here?

TO POST, SIMPLY USE COMMENTS FUNCTION TO ADD YOUR THOUGHTS. Remember forum etiquette - no more than 10 lines per post, focus on one main idea, use 'add'/'challenge'/'build' language if you want to respond to anyone else's points. BUT you are encouraged to post as much as you like!

16 Comments

Jerry

7/4/2020 12:16:20 am

What are the main threats to globalisation?

Despite the fact that globalisation is a prevalent phenomenon in the 21st century, there are inevitable threats to the increasing inter-connection in various dimensions. First of all, as history taught us decades ago, pursuit of nationalism and protectionism stands on the opposite end of political ethos and it visibly threatens the growth of cooperation and peace - demonstrated in the wars of the 20th century. Surely, 'external' crises like an economic depression or an outbreak of a pandemic also pose notable threats to the maintenance and the acceleration of globalisation, as they not only momentarily halts trade and cooperative activities, but also act as a permanent obstacle, due to its long-lasting impact and the consequent recognition of the flaws within the interconnected framework of global politics. These experiences, in one dimension, would benefit the global community in terms of being better prepared to respond and react to such crises, but on the other hand, could also discourage international exchange and promote isolationist stances.

Kae

8/4/2020 07:32:38 pm

Do you agree that this is the end of globalisation?

I believe that this is not the end of globalization but rather a phase for globalization to slow down. With the outbreak of COVID-19, the nation-states have imposed travel restrictions on the movement of people across the borders such as suspending Visa exemption entry and asking for self-quarantine for inbound travellers. This has not only caused the socio-cultural consequences but also led to immediate economic recession as the global markets and supply chains became shattered. As most of the MNCs are dependent on supplier chains in China, they were hard hit when they became unable to import goods from these ‘lockdown’ provinces. With the disruption of global trade, the nation-states are beginning to favour protectionism and nativism which seems to threaten economic globalization. Yet, globalization will continue to persist due to this interconnected nature of the world economy and the ability of nation-states to effectively cooperate to resolve the issue such as by abiding by advice given by WTO. It is just a matter of time where the world will return back to growing phrase of globalization once this global issue gets resolved.

Len

9/4/2020 07:19:16 am

Do you agree that this is the end of globalisation?

As the pandemic has intensified, the world is under a situation where the current prevalent trend regarding globalization may be reversed. Many states are now adopting the ‘beggar-thy strategy’, which refers to economic and trade policies that a country enacts that end up adversely affecting its neighbors. Examples include China’s mass import of masks, despite the fact that they are responsible for more than 50% of the mask production in the world, which led to other states being unable to cope with the spread of the virus partially due to their lack of masks. While globalization had made the USA the leader of world politics, the fact that states are now applying the beggar-thy strategy comprehensively to all states perhaps also reveals the end of globalization. Currently, Germany is under the process of developing a vaccine but had revealed their worries of USA mass importing them after their production, and are considering to block all future vaccine exports to the USA. As a structural realist may suggest, states are pursuing their own interests and the phenomenon of a zero-sum game may be prevalent in the global stage. The pandemic perhaps is revealing the state’s ultimate nature of self-interest of survival, rather than being interconnected and tackling this global issue with cooperation.

Peter Kim

9/4/2020 10:57:40 am

This article was posted in the ‘Business Section’. From what you know about globalisation, is this appropriate? What other aspects of globalisation are there and how may they be affected?

It is appropriate but not exclusively so. It is true that globalisation was in large part instigated by economic motives and the promise of injections from foreign markets. However, the persisting relationship between states have resulted in complex political relationships one another. Economics and global politics are intrinsically linked to one another, in that their interplay is both necessary and inevitable. So, while it would be accurate to place the article under the 'business' section, it is certainly not the only place in which it belongs.

JiWon Choi

9/4/2020 11:02:43 am

Before the WHO issued the pandemic declaration, South Korea prevented its entry and suspended the operation of the Jeju Island visa-free immigration system when the number of confirmed patients in Wuhan and Hubei Province was the highest, but blocked the borders, Did not take the same steps. Currently, even if the coronavirus influx exceeds 50%, instead of closing off borders, the people who violate the quarantine are penalized by criminal offences and foreigners are forced to be exiled. This is also a measure based on three principles that the government have been emphasizing on, which are openness, transparency and democratic process. Foreign minister, Kang Kyung-Hwa, also emphasized the interdependence between countries in the BBC interview taken a few weeks ago. The government has taken this step because it has a relatively liberal view. If the current South Korean government had a relatively conservative view, the borders of South Korea might have been locked.

In the area related to export and import of general goods, COVID-19 may be an obstacle to globalization. However, in this COVID-19 situation, sharing of medical technology through export and import of testing kits is an example of globalization. Don't forget that. Therefore, it is not the case that this is the end of globalisation, and any disaster situation cannot call for the end of globalisation, as countries will learn from other exemplary countries.

Kae

9/4/2020 12:45:24 pm

Challenge:

Despite the sharing of technology and the states’ emphasis on the importance of ‘interconnectedness’, we need to consider the ‘future situation’ after COVID-19 gets resolved. COVID-19 have led to an increased display of prejudice and xenophobia towards the Asian groups which reminds us about the permanent limitation of globalization about how the difference is not respected by all. For a realist perspective, it even shows demonstrates humans' psychological egoism where the states cannot be altruistic to peacefully coexist in the anarchic system. The question that I would like to pose is therefore:

Do you think that our view towards globalization will radically change once this issue gets resolved and would this impact on the political direction we favour? Also, do you think that there is a possibility for nation-states to favour protectionism whilst retaining a minimum degree of interconnectedness which would essentially end the ‘rapid’ globalization?

Daniel Kim

9/4/2020 11:23:24 am

What are the main threats to globalisation?

Globalisation has become one of the most profound concepts of the 21st century and with the recognition of soft power, cooperation based on our inter-connected community has become more significant in today's status quo. Yet states have acted in this manner as a way to benefit themselves, and obstacles to benefiting the state are threats to globalisation. These can include internal factors like the pursuit of private economic benefits based on isolationist and nationalist views, or external factors like the co-vid 19 pandemic. When states can not see the necessity of cooperation and do not have the leisure to cooperate, globalisation becomes difficult.

Suin

9/4/2020 11:29:01 am

What are the main threats to globalisation?

1. The vulnerability of the internet to the cyber-attacks → States can field a potent cyber technology capability for legitimate or illegitimate purposes. Even non-state actors such as ISIS can field powerful cyber organizations that use social media for propaganda. This can mean that the globalisation cannot be fully achieved in terms of integration among the states since the cyber-attacks forms a sense of distrust as the states can never know the intentions of other states, and they will try to protect themselves from the possible threats which may undermine globalisation.

2. Pandemic like coronavirus creates a sense of nationalism as people started looking for alternative suppliers at home, even if they were more expensive, and they will now stick with those domestic suppliers due to perceived risks where international supply chains are disrupted.

Heewon

9/4/2020 12:37:13 pm

-3,5

Because this article focuses on the change in economic activities stimulated by globalization due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, usually the downfall of international exchanges, categorizing the article in the Business section is reasonable. Similarly in Korea, there are businesses that have been weakening because of the decrease of foot traffic, such as food or retail, but there are also industries that are benefiting from the trend of social distancing, such as IT tech, distribution, entertainment, and so on. However, globalization has its impact on many other political and social aspects which we can also see in this state of affairs. For example, even though the contagiousness of the virus made communities isolate and businesses to nationalize, it highlighted the importance of interdependence between the countries for overcoming the common issue, and it provided soft power to the advantaged countries. Many of the world leaders emphasized the need for sharing domestic data to each other in order to minimize the impact of the virus, the government of Korea is using the opportunity of exporting diagnostic kits to rescue its citizens and diasporas from lockdowns, and countries providing aids are seen as achieving political benefits like Russia supplying to Serbia.

James Tipney

7/5/2020 11:57:48 am

Well done Grace, insights on Globalisation that will useful later in the course. It refers to cultural, political as well as economic - this is a good example for sure.

Lucy

9/4/2020 07:01:11 pm

A ) What are the main threats to globalisation?
B ) Do you agree that this is the end of globalisation?

First off, the phenomenon globalisation can be defined as the process by which businesses or other organisations develop international influence or start operating on a global scale, otherwise just interconnected exchange between countries. However, what should be stressed is that globalisation is emphasized through the scale and speed of international business. Any aspects to which could affect globalisation itself would invoke the butterfly defect and provoke an immediate economic effect. One case of how a global issue has affected globalisation is the recent COVID-19. Coronavirus has disrupted the supply chains present by cutting off the original source of materials consumers acquire. This prompts consumers to start looking for alternative suppliers at home, even if they were more expensive, which ultimately threatens globalisation as it drives consumers to stick with the new supply source. This significantly impacts western economics as they have become too dependent on globalisation, hence reliant to the concept of moving people, ideas, and information around the world, something that is no longer in the state of this world. Although it is guaranteed that COVID-19 will eventually pass, its impacts would be permanent, basing off flaws within the interconnectedness of International relations.

However, I personally don't think this would be the end of globalisation. There is a significant impact and will continue to showcase the effects within the global scope, yet this serves as a premonition of how international communities can respond in terms of reacting to global epidemics. Although the current outbreak has taken the world by storm, similar instances have occurred before, and the fate of globalisation depends on how governmental bodies and states decide to work. For example, after 1918, states have gotten weaker within their international organisations after the rise of nationalism, protectionism and economic depression. Yet things are not all bleak, as other instances showcased when cooperation and internationalism have brought humanity one step closer to globalisation. This could be exemplified through systems such as Bretton Woods, the Marshall Plan, the UN and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

katie

10/4/2020 05:08:46 am

This article was posted in the ‘Business Section’. From what you know about globalization, is this appropriate? What other aspects of globalization are there and how may they be affected?

While it is difficult to decide whether it is appropriate to put the article under the business section or not, I believe that it would be better off if it was posted not only on business, but also on some other sub-sections like social, health, and so on; as globalization is simply much more than just ‘business’. The intrinsic nature of politics - “everything is politics” (Thomas Mann) - makes it easier for the readers to agree with the concept of globalization and its interactions with every element of global politics and hence, puts emphasis on the claim that business is indeed not the only section where this particular article fits into. Still, it is reasonable to post the article under the business section as the article sufficiently provides details regarding the virus and its consequent effects on the economic sector.

CHLOE

10/4/2020 07:46:26 am

Do you agree that this is the end of globalisation?

Globalization is about the scale and speed of international business, so it is the process by which different actors start or develop international influence. During the past decades, globalization became significant with the economic development of countries, leading on to the economic globalization. The economic globalization is the interdependence of international economies as a result of the growing scale of cross-border trade of goods and services, the flow of international capital, and the wide and rapid spread of technologies. Due to the spread of coronavirus, the countries had to shut-down firms and factories, which are the main part of the economic globalization. The factories’ inability to produce goods act as obstacles for trade, disconnecting the countries. As countries focus more on the domestic economy, the realist’s view can be applied. Realists advocate on the idea that the world can be viewed in competitive terms because the states act in their self-interest. Power, especially economic power in this case, heavily influences the relations between states, and as the economic power is weakened amongst almost all states, most of them focus on strengthening its own economies. Thus, this will reduce the rate of globalization, instead of resulting at the end of globalization.

Jaehyuk Choi

10/4/2020 11:20:13 am

Led by America, globalisation has become a popular trend during the last couple decades. Initially developed countries have justified themselves that globalisation is beneficial for the whole world by using David Ricardo’s famous Comparative Advantage theory while disregarding the fact that manufacturing productivity(and also software after WTO in 2000) in MEDCs actually increases faster than that of agriculture in LEDCs. In fact, there are some countries that are surely benefited by this interconnected, international specialization in production of goods, such as South Korea and Singapore. However, globalisation which was initially led by the US is now facing obstacles which is also led by the US. Indeed, it is not only the US, but also other states who feel that their sovereignty is infringed: for example, the UK left the EU and the US withdrew the Paris Agreement. Liberal values that were once upheld are being diminished. Simply put, people are now sick of caring outsiders, thinking that foreigners take away what belongs to them. This leads to spread of nationalism and protectionism which hinders economic activity that were highly complex and interconnected. It is true that these national decisions to exclude themselves from the international stage are disappointing especially recently when globalisation is most needed. The Number of situations that call for global cooperation or even global governance is growing. From common access resource problems to the current case of COVID-19 incident, there are global problems that require global effort. The COVID-19 incident specifically demonstrates 2 options to solve the general problem: to shut down all borders like North Korea or to be more interconnected, sharing medical information and providing excess medical aids to others. This could be seen as a case that could only be applied in this Corona event, but it actually tells us a somewhat general truth: “When not aiming to become an authoritarian state, be more interconnected to a point where the world can effectively respond to these problems as if it is a single state.”

Gabriel

12/4/2020 01:02:40 pm

This article was posted in the ‘Business Section’. From what you know about globalisation, is this appropriate? What other aspects of globalisation are there and how may they be affected?

Before discussing where the article fits under the different news categories, one must see if the title of the article fits with its content: Despite the title referring generally to 'globalisation', the article seems to be mainly focused on the economic impacts caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 (ex. decline in the tourism industry and university profits due to decrease in foreign students). Thus, whilst it may be entirely appropriate to place the article under the 'business' section, one could point out that modifications could be made to the title, since globalisation encompasses much more than just economic aspects. Strong political and economic relationships between multiple nations have resulted in a complex system that goes beyond simply counting financial loss/gain; one must be able to consider the exchange of culture, goods, technology, information, etc in terms of its long-term benefits (soft power for liberals, or expansion of regional hegemony for realists, and so on).

James Tipney

7/5/2020 12:01:25 pm

Good insights, keep this in mind in our next unit on development. You are quite right to see that for economic integration to take place, a certain amount of social, cultural and even political change occurs.

WILL CORONAVIRUS REVERSE GLOBALISATION?

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