CIAO DATE: 05/02

Georgetown Journal of International Affairs

Volume 2, Number 1, Winter/Spring 2001

 

Editor's Note

Just as the realities of the Cold War dominated international relations between the 1950s and 1980s, globalization is a constant thread running through world affairs in the 1990s and early twenty–first century. At the onset of this new global politique, the world embraced the concept of a new order marked by increasing economic, cultural, and political interdependence. The emerging global system imbued new hope. It appeared to promise peace, prosperity, and justice for all.

Ten years on, any unconditional enthusiasm that might have existed about a new, interconnected world has fizzled. Accompanying the expanding links between peoples, polities, and economies, are mounting inequity, disenfranchisement of the poor, and environmental catastrophe. Yet the positive effects of increased interconnectivity are undeniable. Across the globe, real incomes are growing, the general quality of life is rising, and opportunities for developing countries and their citizens are increasing. This issue’s Forum exhibits the tensions inherent in contemporary world politics.

The Janus–faced nature of globalization raises questions of how best to ameliorate the evils of the new global system as well as promote and expand its benefits. G. John Ikenberry discusses the necessity of building institutions to ensure the stability of the current world order. Jamie Metzl points to the need for a new networked approach to foreign policy in a tightly integrated international environment. And Alan Pearce’s article on the transnational consolidation of the telecommuniations industry illustrates the breaking down of state borders that characterizes a globalized world.

It is far from decided whether the world will harvest the furies or reap the promises of increasing integration. Alan Beattie, Economics correspondent for the Financial Times, recently wrote, “Debates on the benefts of globalization...are increasingly conducted with bottles and stones rather than journals and seminars.” It is our hope that through thoughtful dialogue, the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs can play a small role in countering this trend–and, in doing so, bring a bit of coherence to this lively, chaotic, and sometimes violent debate.

Meredith Campanale    Ja Ian Chong