The Arguments of Globalization

By Christopher Dow

May you live in interesting times, says an old Chinese curse. The entire world must be cursed, then, for these times are interesting everywhere you look. Old boundaries are falling, and new ones are being raised; alliances are shifting; and traditions are morphing in ways both good and bad. One umbrella term often is used to describe these wracking changes as technology makes the world grow smaller with each step, and that word is globalization. Globalization is the bane of some and a boon for others, but however much it shakes us up as it shakes itself out, it is something we inevitably must deal with.

That is the subject of “Globalization Challenged: Conviction, Conflict, Community” (Columbia University Press, 2006), by George Rupp. Rupp, the former dean of the Harvard Divinity School before becoming president of Rice University (1985–93) and Columbia University (1993–2002), has served since 2002 as president of the International Rescue Committee, an agency that provides assistance to refugees around the world.

In “Globalization Challenged,” Rupp outlines the steps necessary to come to terms with the contemporary conflict between traditional religious belief and Western secularism. Rather than being a research text, this concise book is a reflection on the nature of commitment in the context of pluralism. “How conviction shapes action invites special attention in our increasingly interconnected world and indeed assumes a sense of urgency in the face of terrorist attacks,” Rupp writes. “It is crucial that we in the affluent and highly secularized West appreciate the extent to which the views that we take for granted generate opposition, antagonism and even hatred in large segments of the world’s population. Only with greater awareness of such starkly different attitudes can we hope to address the deeper threats to the health of our planet of which terrorism is a superficial symptom.”

Rupp believes it is necessary to build a community that is inclusive without denying the validity of particular commitments. While acknowledging the threat of “resurgent fundamentalism,” he also criticizes secularists who fail to recognize or acknowledge the role of religion and its ideological equivalents in influencing public policy. All views, he asserts, are subject to comparative appraisal, and the challenge is to develop ways to evaluate different approaches responsibly, leading to a greater understanding of one’s own convictions as well as the positions of others.
Rupp reinforces his critical and theoretical analysis with dramatic accounts of recent events in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan—places where the International Rescue Committee operates. He then addresses the role of globalization in fueling instability worldwide, particularly where inadequately regulated privatization has compromised health care, education and social programs.

His initial analysis is followed by chapters by Jagdish Bhagwati, economist and University Professor at Columbia; Jeremy Waldron, professor of law and philosophy and University Professor at New York University School of Law; and Wayne Proudfoot, professor of the philosophy of religion at Columbia. These essays expand Rupp’s argument, and in a final chapter, Rupp responds to the issues they raise.

“We are confronted with the opportunity to examine our own commitments and, when we find compelling reasons, to enlarge our allegiances so as to incorporate those who are now too easily excluded,” Rupp concludes. “As we engage in what is unavoidably a lifelong process, we will move toward building an increasingly inclusive community. In our globalized era, we can do no less.”