"Somalia is, therefore, a very special case, whose reactions to globalization can provide us with important information on the nature of this process, and how it affects countries that do not fit into conventional political and economic models"; this is part of the conclusions contained in a brief but well elaborated study which was published before almost 10 years (http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/0/e715f9667b301a1fc125689c004b547c?OpenDocument&Click=).
The particularity of Somalia´s relationship with globalization hinges on the fact that every time the Mankind expresses a tendency towards a kind of globalization, Somalia is found at the forefront – one way or another!
Economic globalization is only one of the many similar efforts that have been incessantly undertaken in the millennia long History of the Mankind in order to turn a disparate and chaotic reality into a well explored and understood, if not even rationalized, cosmos of common destiny.
It would be wrong to limit the present globalization into the merely economic phenomenon of the monetized debts, the stock and derivatives exchanges, the WTO, the World Bank, and the IMF. The current globalization involves cultural, educational, academic, artistic, intellectual, ideological, social – behavioural, and certainly political aspects. Others distinguish also religious, theological and spiritual dimensions too!
Pursued mostly as an economic dream of worldwide liberalization, the present globalization comes as the ultimate stage of the 18th - 19th century colonization; if we therefore view universalism as the effort to comprehend all the components of the world and offer them an equivalent position within a "Common Future" project, globalization is to be found at its very antipodes. It is therefore only normal that nationals of formerly colonized countries reserve a very severe criticism for the phenomenon of the globalization.
I came across a brief but convincing criticism of the globalization, composed by an astute Somali commentator, Mr. Nasr Ibn Othmann. His honesty and serenity are among his strengths whereas his idealism proves to be his drawback. His ´The Not-So-Good Ship Globalisation´ is a text of nuance and dilettantism; it greatly highlights the usefulness of the Somali temperament in our times. I therefore publish it integrally here and I will engage in an online conversation with Mr. Nasr Ibn Othmann in forthcoming articles.
The Not-So-Good Ship Globalisation
By Nasr Ibn Othmann
It seems that there is a hole—somewhere in the hull of the not-so-good ship Globalisation—and we are all being threatened by a deluge, in the form of the toxic assets currently inundating the global economy. It seems to me that both the great and small economies of the world need to correct themselves, at this moment in time, by returning to economic practices that actually work. Surely, at this point in time, and eighteen months into the global financial crisis, most people have become aware of the fact that the so-called banking ''bail-outs'' do not actually work. Why else do the relevant authorities keep returning to this flawed policy?
No less than 14 financial institutions have already failed in the United States during 2009 already, and it is probable that we shall hear of many more failures during the months to come. For some strange reason, the policy makers responsible for regulating the great economies of the world refuse to take the measures necessary for remedying the financial mess that we currently find ourselves in. Instead of allowing the so-called ''bad financial institutions'' to fail outright, the policy makers have unanimously decided to prolong this agony by lending financial assistance to severely compromised financial institutions.
Such policies, almost certainly, do not solve the basic problems that we currently face. Without doubt, the so-called toxic assets held by these financial institutions can never be adequately rehabilitated. It is simply illogical to think otherwise. Therefore, the only viable solution, to the enormous problems at hand, is to write off these crippling losses and to rebuild the global financial system on a sounder platform. For too many years, both individuals and corporations have been living beyond their means. The lifestyle, of the average Western individual has been subsidised by access to cheap credit, and the illusion of cheap goods and services.
Most of us are now being confronted by the fact that the world of finance shall never return to the illusory boom of the past 15 years. We are currently facing the kind of economic upheaval that shaped the world during the early part of the 20th century. Ironically, there is a degree of economic protectionism, by stealth, creeping into the Western corridors of power. This—in my opinion—shall lead to the reversal of the process of Globalisation if this economic protectionism is not curbed. Local subsidies shall, in my opinion, lead to the devastation of the Globalised economy as we have come to know it. We have already seen the picket lines being drawn, in Northern Europe, for the protection of the economic rights of native workers and in response to apparently cheaper imported foreign workers.
This behaviour, if repeated by all the nations of the world, clearly heralds the demise of the concept of free trade. Economic barriers are currently going up all over the world, and whether we like it or not. It is clear to me that any form of government ''bail-out'', for any branch of any particular domestic industry, is a clear form of economic protectionism. Such a ''bail-out'' will, quite inevitably, lead to retaliatory actions by the governments of rival trans-national industries. This is a rather dangerous economic arms race, and it is best avoided. The potential consequences of such actions are very bad indeed. History teaches to avoid 'beggar-thy-neighbour' protectionist policies if we wish to avoid the spectre of armed conflict between neighbouring states.
In conclusion, it seems to me that the best option, for all concerned, is to rediscover the concept of economic emancipation. For the smaller economies, in particular, it is important to find a comfortable niche. By this I mean that it is foolish for a small economy to become overly dependent upon the economic fortunes of the so-called greater economies. In many ways, economic dependence is the death of a nation. The idea of economic emancipation is worth striving for, and at this moment in time, when the frailties of economic neo-liberalism are there for all to see, the concept of Globalisation—if it is to survive—must embrace the idea of economic emancipation for all in this world.
Note
Picture: the Somali Piracy is a typical epiphenomenon of Somalia´s interaction with the globalization economic and maritime parameters. In vain, M/V Biscaglia uses water cannons against pirate attack.
From: http://telstarlogistics.typepad.com/telstarlogistics/globalization/
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