Breaking the Ties that Bind

Globalization has created a world without borders. We all now posses an ability to experience culture and learn from the values other societies, this was unimaginable even a generation ago. Change takes place more quickly than ever before, and ideas both helpful and hurtful travel as fast as a mouse click. These changes have enabled individuals to amass power which before was only realized by our globe’s strongest governments. “Leaks” sites have enabled the general public the ability to peer into corporate and government secrets. The most notable of which is Wikileaks, run by Julian Assange. Despite the flattening effects that one might initially see, this website works to destroy the progress of globalization and create further conflict.

Wikileaks can be described in many ways, in theory it operates as a media watchdog. The website acts as a catalyst to exposing international secrets, but in doing so it also creates many negative externalities. These include but are not limited to future declines in trade, censorship of the internet, and worst of all the threat of slowing future growth and progress. In its harshest connotation some might feel that this website is a global terrorist. Though many of the documents released threaten the US government most significantly, a decrease in trade or potential conflict can harm the entire globe. We commonly attempt to create scenarios where all boats rise, this is certainly one where all might ships sink. A downfall of the US economy could eclipse the contagious effects of The Asian Financial Crisis many times over. Today’s interconnectedness ensures that profit windfalls and market collapses are felt around the world.

Terrorism is not new, but the power that individuals now hold is greater than ever before. Their actions now have repercussions that none will soon forget. In particular the attacks of September 11^th 2001 effectively destroyed many of the bonds that countries had created. As a result, world trade decreased significantly after years of growth all in the name of national security, undoing many years of increasing cooperation. The combined efforts of many is now at threat from actions of few. Damage to international relations can be just as detrimental as physical terrorism.

Many feel that the work of Wikileaks is treasonous, and by definition they are factually incorrect. Assange is not an American citizen and therefore treason would not be a valid charge, but if we view Assange as a Global Citizen treason might be an accurate claim. Though anyone most would call him a cosmopolitan, his actions run contrary to international progress. No one is better off because of the works published by Wikileaks, if anything we are all worse off. From the downturn in trade that is a result of poorer international relations to the uncertainty that is created as governments threaten to further regulate the internet, the true damage which might result is still unknown. In recent decades physical barriers to cooperation have decreased significantly, low cost air travel connects countries and the fall of the Berlin Wall connected families. There are no longer societies on earth which have not been in contact with modern society. The idea of the small island country working to be self sufficient free from the international market is no longer possible, we are all connected and have the ability to exploit this physical connection to our advantage.

Today we worry that technological barriers which be increased as a result these new leaks sites. In a recent trip abroad I personally saw the effects of China’s “Great Firewall”. Walking outside of the Forbidden City, my travel companions were disappointed to find that they could not research our next destination. Though we can stand foot on a location where brave students attempted to stand up to their oppressive government, we were unable to easily learn more. Tiananmen Square information cannot be easily accessed in China, in an attempted to suppress history the country filters much of what can be accessed by its people.

I feel that Jagdish Bhagwati’s metaphor is exceptionally relevant in this case. In his book In Defense of Globalization. He likens rapid globalizing change to a door which is opened so fast that it slams shut. Assange’s tactics, though with somewhat noble intentions, do nothing but destroy international relations. Rushing into too much far too fast is weakening the ties that we have worked so hard to forge in recent years. World governments are now scared. Talks of internet censorship are becoming more likely to result in future regulation. Just as the doors of globalization have swung open they are now at the risk of slamming shut.

We have reaped the benefits from globalization for years and centuries even. From the time of the silk trade to the bounties of Portuguese explorers such as Vasco de Gama, we have found that our daily lives experience more variety. Simply because you are a German that does not mean you are forced to drink German beer or eat the traditional national cuisine. Rather you are now able to enjoy delicious chai tea with spices from India, or fresh sashimi sourced directly from Japan. Globalization grants us economic stability through interconnectedness, and significant gains from trade that even Adam Smith would blush to imagine. Much of this bounty is at threat from tightening regulations by fearful governments. The spreading of government secrets only stokes these flames threatening future prosperity.

Thomas Friedman’s book The World is Flat goes into detail in explaining how today’s technology has connected us all and how it will continue to become more and more relevant in our exponentially adapting world. His analysis of the current trends is excellent and for time being offers a fairly accurate depiction how individuals are able to interact seamlessly without regard to borders or distance. In one of his articles on Wikileaks he mimics the style of US cables but writes them from the perspective of the Chinese embassy. This satire mocks mock the sheer ignorance of American politics to international issues. If we continue to work against ourselves we will likely find that Lincoln’s words were indeed accurate. “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” This is true not only nationally but also internationally. The ties that bind us are more important than ever before. The real problems in our world should not be addressed on national lines, but rather as global issues. More than forty percent of the world lives on less than two dollars per day, this cannot be resolved without unity and cooperation.

If we continue to blindly follow the new mores of free flowing information without first referring to our moral compass, we will continue on a path of destruction. One can only hope that I might be wrong and is this rather a case of creative destruction, though even in this case it would still be at this expense of the US. As individuals and nations beat their chests with intense bravado it is unlikely that true progress will be made. We are squandering the true value of technology, and it is possible that it will be too late for us to realize this. The globalizing value of the internet has been realized many times over, but its ability to destroy international relations is likely to be found sooner than later. Rouge individuals like Assange threaten our future, and their actions are resulting in the separation of us all.