Globalization debates I: TPP, identities, globalization pros and cons

Globalization pros and cons

Globalization has become one of the most interesting social, cultural and political phenomena of the last century. The global financial crisis and migration have make many people to raise their voices against globalization. Many claim that globalization is only favoring the elites and that middle and lower classes are suffering from the increase interconnectedness and the free flows of goods, services, capital and people. 

On The Best Debates we have selected some of the most interesting online debates on the topic of globalization and we hope that you join them. No matter if you are in favor or against globalization, it is always a good exercise to think about it and to discuss constructively with others who may not share the same views. 

TPP: Yes, please or no thanks?

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is one of the most ambitious free trade agreements in history which has similarities with the TTIP between the US and EU. The TPP agreement is the successor of the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement or TPSEP signed by Singapore, New Zealand, Chile and Brunei in 2005. The US, Australia, Vietnam and Peru joined the negotiations in 2008, Malaysia in 2010, Canada and Mexico in 2012, and Japan in 2013. However, President Donald Trump is committed to bring the USA out of the TPP. Three days after arriving to the White House, he signed an executive order to start the process of disengagement. Do you think the TPP is a good idea? Is Trump right in this case? If you want to vote and find out what most people think about the TPP, click here.

Do local, regional and transnational identities trump nationalism?

Political, religious and class identities play a very important role in our societies. There are transnational identities, such as "Europeanness" or the "Latino" identity which overlap with people's national identities and have an important psychological impact in defining their attitudes, values and beliefs. State-centric nationalist or patriotic feelings may be weakened by local and regional identities, too. These other types of identities are sometimes considered as important as the national identities. Localism and regionalism is particularly prevalent in societies with low geographical mobility. In countries such as the UK, Belgium, Canada, India, and Spain the identification with the region of origin is often as strong as that with the country. Are these multiple overlapping identities really trumping nationalism? If you are interested in identity politics and nationalism follow this link

Is globalization overall positive for society?

Globalization refers to the increasing exchange, interaction and integration between people, private corporations and governments across the globe. International trade, capital flows, migration, technological, scientific and cultural exchanges are some of the most important examples of this macro phenomenon. The encounters and relationships between ancient civilizations and the colonization processes initiated during the Age of Discoveries were archaic and early-modern forms of globalization. Later, the Industrial Revolution catalyzed globalization. The political and economic international agreements after the Second World War accelerated this process even further. For many years globalization was considered very positive and correlated with economic growth and social progress. However, an increasing number of voices have started to criticize globalization claiming that it is a deeply flawed and dangerous process of which only a few will benefit. Both left-wing anti-capitalists and conservative nationalists are currently fighting against globalization. To what extent is globalization to blame for problems such as national unemployment, inequality, terrorism and cultural homogenization? Check out this debate on the cultural, political and economic dimension of globalization here


Soon we will bring you new debates on globalization. In the meantime, if you would rather discuss issues related to american politics or animal rights you can check our previous posts.
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