Module 6

Topic 2: Globalization and Globalism

The Contemporary World (Coworld)

Globalization and Globalism

When you encountered the word

globalization you probably think
about links, connections, and
interrelatedness of things,
people, and countries, however,
when compared to globalism,
globalization would be better
described as the “increase or
decline in the degree of
globalism” (Nye, 2002).
Globalism refers to the network of connections that
transcends distances of different countries in the world
while globalization is the “increase or decline in the
degree of globalism” (Nye, 2002).
In other words, the link among countries and people are
better associated with globalism while the speed which
they become linked with one another is globalization.
We can differentiate globalism and globalization in terms
of its “thickness”, Globalism is thin. As it becomes thicker,
globalization happens. This means that being able to
connect countries in the world through a more dynamic
and faster way is globalization. Example will be global
trade. In the past, Silk Road served as the trade routes
among countries in Europe and Asia. Aside from silk trade
there were other exchanges of goods and cultural
interactions.
However, they were felt by a relatively small group of people, most
especially those who were actually on the road and did trades. The
connections were not intense nor “thick”. In contrast to the
contemporary world, “globalism become increasingly thick” (Nye,
2002). This is where globalization comes in. If we look at the global
trade today, it has reached a greater number of people around the
world. For example, the selling products are not solely done
through physical transactions but can be done online as well.
Nye (2002) gave “four distinct dimension of globalism: economic,
military, environmental and social”. Like economic globalism, the
three other dimensions also become thicker and faster as
globalization intensifies. The enormous speed of potential conflict
and threat of nuclear war is an example of military globalism. In
terms of environmental globalism, global warming continues to
accelerate. The last dimension, social and cultural globalism,
“involves movements of ideas, information, images, and of people
who carry ideas and information with them”.
For instance, religious ideas have spread throughout the world at
greater scope and speed. Religious teachings are delivered today
though the mass media, such as televisions, radio, and the
internet. Unlike before, religious leaders had to walk by foot and
had to deliver their messages in a face-to-face manner.