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Thirteen Theses on Glob ahzation and Neoliberalism

Thomas Klak
Two of the most common terms used to characterize current and emerging trends on the international scene are globalization and neoliberalism. The conventional understanding of globahzation views it as a process of international integration that defines the present and future economic reality. Neoliberal policy represenrs a country's ticket or passport to the globalizing economy. Using the analytical lens of political economy, this chapter offers a critical assessment of the globalization thesis, especially as it applies to the Caribbean region. By extension, the chapter also evaluates globalzation's policy affiliare, neoliberalism. This is accomplished through an,?nalyrical framework for globalization and neoliberalism in
the form of thirteen theses.

Il"this book the Caribbean refers to che island territories of the Caribbean Sea, plus the four mainland territories of Belize, Guyana, Suriname,
and French Guiana, which are historically and culturally linked to the islands (see map 1; chap. 10 provides reasons behind this geographical definition). Many of the book's themes are also highly relevant to the smali countries of neighboring Central America and to the many others across the global periphery that now pursue export-oriented economic development (Henke and Boxill 1998). This chaprer raises a number of broad conceptual issues that both frame and summarze the more detailed investigations of globalization and neoliberalism in the Caribbean contexr

in subsequent chapters. Although globalization has become a common term in corporate and political circles, neither the mass media nor scholars define it, much less interrogate it against evidence. In fact, globalization is perhaps the most overused, abused, and (as I will argue blow) dangerous euphemism for the current restmcturing of international capitalism. Most conremp orary

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