Contemporary World Forum Essay

1. 1. What is the difference between Globalization and Globalism?
It is indeed noticeable that globalization has significantly impacted our daily lives, as it ameliorates
the standard quality of life and drives us to change our lifestyles to experience convenience. As
globalization may be occurring for a long time, it may have detrimental and beneficial factors that
can affect us in particular circumstances. Meanwhile, people are often confused about
differentiating globalism and globalization. As both terminologies are likely identical, they are
reasonably distinctive by their attributes. Several scholars who engaged in expounding the scope of
these terms may have either supporting or contrary points of view that are rigorously backed up by
empirical observations.
According to Steger (2012), globalism is a ubiquitous term often used imprecisely to describe
general globalizing trends and particular systems of ideas and values connected to various
globalization processes. He further adds that there are three major variants of globalism: market,
justice, and religious. Market globalism advocates a consumerist, neoliberal, and free-market world.
Justice globalism envisages a global civil society with fairer relationships and environmental
safeguards, while religious globalism strives for a global religious community with superiority over
secular structures. Likewise, Nye (2002) stated that globalism seeks to describe and explain nothing
more than a world characterized by networks of connections that span multi-continental distances.
Globalism seeks to apprehend worldwide inter-connections and to accentuate patterns that embody
them. Consequently, it led humanity to perceive that information, products, services, investments,
and people should be explicitly permitted to traverse national borders to implement international
trading activities. Moreover, various forms of globalism are the foregrounds of the globalization
function. Through this, it propels to shape and mold an interrelated world. Nevertheless, the idea of
globalism may theoretically promote social inequality, empower environmental destruction, increase
global conflicts and violence, weaken participatory forms of democracy, and extend the
marginalization gap among developing and impoverished countries as wealthy nations rampantly
exploit them.
On the other hand, McGrew (1990) stipulated that globalization is composed of multiple sameness
and interconnectedness that go beyond nation states where individuals and organizations in one
part of the world are affected by the activities, affairs, and convictions in another part of the globe.
Meanwhile, Ritzer (2010) defined globalization as a transplanetary process involving increasing
liquidity and the growing multi-directional flows of people, objects, places, and information, as well
as the structures they encounter and create that are barriers to, or expedite, those flows. Similarly,
Steger (2012) identified it as a multidimensional set of social processes that extend and intensify
social connections across the globe. Giddens (1990) also emphasized globalizing processes,
including methods of capitalism, the interstate system, militarism, and industrialism.
Globalization is an ongoing comprehensive system that fosters association among societies and
individuals across the world. Despite geographical hindrances, globalization entitles everyone to
have a sense of international affiliation. Furthermore, it involves massive interaction that may
strengthen one's nation-building and international affairs. In addition, globalization depicts the vast
phenomenon of delivering and acquiring economic, environmental, social, cultural, military, political,
technological, and institutional integration to consolidate linkage between participating countries.
However, globalization can have negative consequences when a certain crisis prevails on the other
side of the world. Just like the "domino effect," polities may be widely influenced by an
intercontinental catastrophe without exception.
In general, globalism is a political ideology that serves as an initial basis behind globalization. The
philosophy of globalism enables globalization to adopt distinguished norms, values, and meanings
within its operations. Without the emergence of globalism principles, globalization may not be
currently ordained. We would also probably not gain global consciousness and awareness at all. As
a matter of fact, countries may be isolated from each other, which may obstruct the possibility of

2. manifesting the essence of interdependence. Additionally, being part of the globalization process
may allow economic, political, or cultural opportunities that can eventually bring advantages and
disadvantages to us.
As we live in a contemporary world, globalization has been visible throughout the years. Given that
this phenomenon continually exists, it has been pivotal in founding progressive civilization. It plays a
crucial part in establishing global networks and trends among us through importing and exporting
commodities, as well as fortifying political and social relationships with other countries. But, we must
anticipate that globalism and globalization have consistent uncertainties as time passes. Let us also
not agitate that globalism and globalization may lead to homogeneity. Instead, let us discern it as a
way of bolstering global camaraderie regardless of being diverse.
References

3. Giddens, A. (1990). The consequences of modernity. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
McGrew, A. (1990). A global society: Modernity and its futures. Cambridge, UK: Polity.
Nye, J. (2002, April 15). Globalism versus globalization. Retrieved from
https://www.theglobalist.com/globalism-versus-globalization/
Ritzer, G. (2010). Globalization: A basic text (1st ed.). Oxford, UK: Willey-Blackwell.
Steger, M. B. (2012, February 29). Globalism. Retrieved from
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1002%2F9780470670590.wbeog2
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