C)  Political  Globalization – a)  Theory  and  Practice

When we  talk  about  Political  Globalization  today, we  naturally  mean  American  Political  Globalization, since the  United  States  of  America  is  the sole  and undisputed  Political, Economic and  Military  Superpower  in the  world  presently; playing out this “hegemonic  historical  role” since the end of  World  War II.

The  U.S.S.R  during the 20th century , had  attempted to become a  Political, Economic  and  Military  Superpower  after  World  War  II, constructing its  own  Political  Globalization  as  the most  prominent  and  well  organized  geopolitical  center  of  International  Communism. It  affected directly the socio-political and the  socio-economic  makeup and evolution of many  Central and  Eastern  European countries,  such  as  Poland, Hungary  and  East  Germany, while also influencing  indirectly  the socio-political and the socio-economic foundations and development of  non-Western  countries  such as  China, Vietnam , North  Korea  and  Egypt. This Communist Globalization scheme initiated by  the  Soviet  Union after  the  Bolshevik  Revolution of  1919,eventually did not succeed because of the political rise of  Communist China after World War II as the Soviet Union’s  non-Western “alter ego” and also through the political and economic dismantling of the  U.S.S.R  after 1990.

Our text on the Political Globalization created and promoted  by  the  United  States of  America  after  World  War II, is made up of 3  sections.

The first section describes the political evolution of  that country from its foundation in 1776 . It  demonstrates  historically how the  United  States had functioned  as a Western Imperialistic  Power, not as a  Western Republic, since it did not conform practically and actively to the 3 main tenets of  liberal ideology, which is  Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, on an individual and on a societal level.

The  second section of our analysis on Political  Globalization  deals with the early stages of  American Imperialism in relation to  the  American government’s policy of  subjugation, domination and  exploitation of the First Indian Nations of  North America and the Afro-American slaves under its administration.

The  third  section of our text on  American Political  Globalization historically begins after  World  War II  until the present day, enumerating and defining the political tools, the policies and the strategies  of the  American government  which legitimized , maintained and reinforced  America’s  “international hegemonic status” as the only Global Superpower, politically, militarily, economically and culturally.

I  shall begin this section of  my  essay  in a somewhat unorthodox way, briefly recounting two historical narratives  whose  existential  essence is  directly related to  today’s  Globalization, whose  goal  is  for a  few number  of individuals to  secure absolute and total control  of all of the world’s resources, both human and material. It also  aims  at   manipulating  the minds and the hearts of  all human beings, installing a  Totalitarian World Order, similar to that described in George Orwell’s book “1984” or in Hollywood’s science-fiction movie “Matrix I”, produced by  the  Wachowski brothers in 1999.

Our first historical narrative is a well-known ancient Greek myth, which talks about King  Midas and  his “golden touch”. This ancient fable explains the “human madness” and the “human tragedy”  resulting   from “human greed”  and  “human avarice”. It is “human materialism”  that  undermines true human happiness and human contentment,  which should be  free and universal , “with no price tags”!!!

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B)  Cultural  Globalization

In  the  second part on  Globalization, we  shall  refer  to  Cultural  Globalization. We  shall demonstrate  that the  United  States is the major  culprit of this “sinister” international scheme,  which we refer to as  Globalization. Today’s   Globalization began in full force after   World War II, with the intention of controlling   the  hearts, the minds and  the expectations of  human beings  around the world, of essentially  controlling  their lives. The  critical motive behind this global historical  intervention  by the  United  States and  American Transnational Economic Interests is simply the human drive for “enormous” power and  profit, leading to “absolute” and “total”  American World Hegemony by  its elite groups and by those world elites who benefit from this  World set up!!!

Before we specify and define the indicators, the dynamics and the  data  defining  this  International Conspiracy  by  the Rich and the Powerful, especially those originating from the  United States, but  also from other geopolitical power centers, we shall examine some of the formal definitions and semantics provided by various specialized texts, in order to better comprehend the basic components of  our  analysis.

There are many definitions of  “Globalization” in various narratives by  various scholars, reflecting their ideological inclinations, whether they be liberal, neo-liberal, socialist or cosmopolitan. Therefore, we shall use a combination of defining parameters as these have been formulated by  Wikipedia within its extended text related to Globalization, introducing  a more balanced and universal view of this particular term.

It  states  the following:”…Globalization is the process of  international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas, and other aspects  of culture. Advances in transportation and in telecommunications infrastructure have been major factors in  globalization, generating further interdependence of economic and cultural activities….Globalization are all those processes by which the people  of the world are incorporated into a single world  society…”.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization)

Next, we will  present the concept  of  “Cultural Globalization”, as formulated by  James  L. Watson, a social scientist, for the  Encyclopedia  Britannica.

He expresses that ,”…Cultural globalization is a phenomenon by  which the experience of  everyday life , as influenced by the diffusion of  commodities and ideas, reflects a  standardization of  cultural expressions around the world. Propelled by the efficiency or appeal of wireless communications, electronic commerce, popular culture, and international travel, globalization has been seen as a trend towards homogeneity that will  eventually make human experience everywhere essentially the same. This appears, however , to  be an overstatement of the phenomenon. Although homogenizing influences do indeed exist, they are far from creating anything akin to a single world culture…”.(https://www.britannica.com/science/cultural-globalization)

Following, I  would like to put forward a definition of  “culture” which  represents best my understanding of what “culture” signifies and  which  is provided by the  ECHOES  Bulletin of 1998(an occasional publication of the World Council of Churches), in an extended article written by Ms.  Fridah Muyale-Manenji.

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A) Introduction

Globalization is not a new historical phenomenon, it has been present   and active in various   forms through many parts of the world , at different epochs. Today’s Globalization, was established after World War II by the United   States and International American Corporate Interests, as America became the only World Super Power, politically, militarily, economically and culturally. The United States and American Economic Interests were now able to exercise political, economic and cultural dominance over all the countries attached to the international capitalist economic system or “the liberal” world market system. These countries were spread all over the world and in all continents, ranging from the developed industrialized nations like Great Britain, France, Japan and Germany, to the developing countries like India, Brazil, Argentina and the Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa(due to their oil resources), and finally, to the underdeveloped nations, especially in Central Africa and in Central America, like Somalia, the Sudan, Nicaragua and the Honduras. All   these countries , are “the playing turf ” of American Globalization!!!

We shall now examine some historical examples of Globalization which reflect the spectrum of   the types of   Globalization which were preponderant and dynamic in the past.

We will start with the political, economic and cultural Globalization, established by   Alexander the Great and his key Macedonian military officers, during the end of the   4th century B.C.. They founded the Hellenistic Kingdoms which endured for more than three centuries, while   historians have named this historical epoch, “the Hellenistic Age”.(http://herculean-wordpress.com/2007/04/12/hellenistic-kingdoms-)

After the death of Alexander the Great in 323B.C., his Universal Empire was divided up into the Hellenistic kingdoms, ruled by his most intimate and trusted military officers.

The most important Hellenistic kingdom was the Kingdom of   Egypt, established by Ptolemy in 305B.C., and it was the Ptolemaic dynasty which ruled Egypt until the death of   Cleopatra in 30B.C., the last Egyptian ruler of   this   Macedonian dynasty.

Second in historical and political importance was the Seleucid dynasty, founded by   Seleucus in 305B.C., in Syria and in Mesopotamia. The Seleucid Empire is considered by many historians as one of the greatest in human history, while at the peak of its hegemony, its territory included Asia Minor, Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia, Turkmenistan and the Indus Valley. The Seleucid Empire was finally defeated by Rome in 60B.C., as it later had occurred with the Egyptian kingdom of the Ptolemies .

The next Hellenistic dynasty in historical importance was the Antigonid dynasty within Greece , initiated by Antigonus in 306B.C., ruling most of the Greek Mainland with its Greek islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas. The Antigonid   dynasty was defeated by the Roman military forces in 146B.C., and became the Roman province of Macedonia.

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