How much?

Globalize this, globalize that ... can it be good or bad?!

One general truth most people seem to accept is that being globalized is not an option. Everyone will, in smaller of bigger dosages get their shot of globalizatioan. This has never been more apparent to me than now, since I'm 'drowning' in globalization and have the chance to see and point out globaization's effects in my native country. Coming from a Southern European Country which is in still quite traditional and very conservative, I feel very positive about our world becoming more globalized but at the same time I do have reservations concerning it. For me and all the people living in smaller countries, the main concern is the preserving of national identity. And even though a lot of people in my country would argue that noone can take away your national identity simple because noone can take away something that they did not give to you ... which is quite true in theory. But, witnessing the younger generations of Macedonia I realize that in a few generations parents-to-be will not want be able to teach and transfer bits of that national identity to their children because somewhere during the process they themselves have such a feeling of national identity, at least not as strong as my generation has at the moment. Many countries fearing frustration and conflicts, and simply protecting themselves from the influence of the West, have closed themselves up to foreign influences. This is also not the solution because as the whole world goes forward people in those countries face limitations and are look up as barbarians.

Globalization cannot be stopped, but there have to measures taken that it is balanced out between tradition, culture and the sense of belonging.

Development Journalism

Development journalism can be an ambiguous thing. On one hand it goes against the basic principles of journalism by allowing journalists to report and inform only on things which are considered good for the people and the country, but on the other hand for peripheral countries development journalism might just be a concept that can help them get on their feet faster, strengthen their position and preserve their national identity. Personally, I believe that it depends very much on the type of government and the media-government relationship that will be established. The only example I can find of such a relationship in my country would be the National TV and Radio Station which is run under the hat of the government. Unfortunately, due to a lot of corruption and protection of different "parties' interests" this story has been a failure: poor management, thousands of people getting sacked, a lot of money missing and very low popularity were outcomes that the people saw. This. of course, made it a lot more easier for private TV stations to take over in the whole media contest. Nevertheless, this has not been the most positive thing for my country as well because most of private TV stations are associated with political parties and exclusively report on all the mistakes of the government or the negative events in the society etc. As a result, many people's feeling is that the whole Macedonian society is trapped in this vicious circle of error, defeats and injustice. Therefore, I cannot help but wonder whether what kind of effect development journalism wound have over the people in my country.

UN Volunteer Blogger wanted!

UN Connector" Volunteer Blogger job description!

<http://www.tigblog.org/group/unreports/post/466247>

*_Job Description_*

The Global Youth Action Network (GYAN) is looking for young people who enjoy writing and keep up to date on current issues for a volunteer blogging position. GYAN is a network of youth organizations, and strives to connect young people around the world and provide them with the tools and resources they need to enact change locally, nationally, or globally. GYAN also has special consultative status with the United Nation's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and accordingly works to increase youth participation in the United Nations.To this end, the staff and interns at GYAN regularly attend briefings, meetings and conferences at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and write about them in our online blog. GYAN is now looking for a dynamic, motivated and knowledgeable young person to write in our blog about issues that affect young people in their local communities, and what is being done by and for youth. The blog is available at http://www.tigblog.org/group/unreports.

*_Blogger Responsibilities:_*

- Write one blog per month minimum about one of the topics detailed below- This position will last for 6 months; during this time you must write 6 blogs- Work to publicize the blog in your local or national community, and urge more young people to read and comment on the entries

*_Blog topics:_*

Currently, our blog focuses on issues and events taking place at the UN. Your blog must relate to one of the following topics:1. Write about the UN's presence in your local area. Feel free tochoose a specific policy or program to analyze. Are there anyhelpful programs that the UN is implementing in your localcommunity? What do people think about the UN's efforts? Give youropinion on the policies of the UN, and whether you can see theireffect in your local area. Are their efforts working? Check outthe UN News Centre to keep up to date on issues, and to find ideasto blog about: http://www.un.org/News/2. Discuss critical issues facing young people in your community, andwhat young people can do about them. Discuss a problem and offer asolution.3. Highlight some of the positive contribution of youth. What areyoung people in your area already doing to help others and toenact change?4. Read and respond to previous blogs written by GYAN staff andinterns regarding UN programs, events, and policies. Are thosemeasures actually being implemented? Is anything happening on theground, and are UN policies creating tangible change? Is there adifference between what the UN is saying, and what is actuallygetting done? Post your responses and observations in the blog.5. Write about how young people can increase their voices andparticipation in the UN, and what young people can do to getinvolved and make a difference in their communities. Whatopportunities do you see for young people in your area, whetherwithin the UN system or outside of it? Discuss any opportunitiesyou find out about -- e.g. fellowships, programs, conferences,workshops, etc.

*_Skills & Requirements_*

- Basic knowledge of United Nations activities and policies
- Interest in social justice issues and in learning more about the UN
- Strong writing skills- Fluent in English, Spanish or French
- Knowledge of youth opportunities locally and nationally
- Previous experience or involvement in working with youth, or working to make a difference in your community is helpful

And what the future holds ....

'If history repeats itself and unexpected always happens then incapable must man be of learning from his mistakes?' - G.B. Shaw

Personally, I believe that mankind will have to go through three very important stages (which combines the thoughts of both Huntington and Kaplan). Firstly, the clash of civilizations will continue to take place, perhaps not with the magnitude that Huntington described, but still it will gain on popularity and intensity. This unfortunately will create a very fertile ground for the coming anarchy. Will we go that extra mile and let anarchy take over the world? It's seems highly unlikely at the moment, but one can never know what the future holds. The destruction of environment has picked up speed, the number of illiberal democracies is growing, resources are becoming more limited, tensions will grow, and man will again find himself at the very edge of the destruction of the world, just like on October 15, 1962 when Cuban Crisis began.

And it is only then that man will realize that history repeats itself and stop the madness that became on him and the world. But that will not be the 'end of history' (going back to Fukuyama) because I have faith that a new ideology will start to govern he world far better than the previous one because man will have to start all over again.

Will it be too late? .....  

    

The Clash of Civilizations

The Clash of Civilizations is an article by Samuel P. Huntington which was published in 1993 in the Forreign Affairs magazine. It focuses on the claim that in the post-cold war world the source of struggle and conflict will be cultural and not economic or ideological. In addition, Huntington divides the world in 8 civilizations and tries to predict the frequency of confrontations between them. One of the main reasons for this, according to him, is the fact that while living in more globalized world, nations feel they have lost a part of their identity and try to compensate that by going back to their cultural roots and religion. The second major reason is, of course, the fact that the cultural differences that people have have been around much longer than the political or ideological ones that have developed throughout the ages.

Is he right?

Well, if one picks up a newspaper and just randomly goes over the news, one can immediately notice several things Huntington got right. The Sinic and the Islamic civilizations have increased their power and have started challenging the power of the West. And globalization seems to be putting more oil into the fire. There are also a lot of conflicts within civilizations and geographical (physical) boundaries are created to divide groups of different religion and culture.

Consequently, one can argue that I agree with the theory behind Clash of Civilizations and believe that Huntington's article might just be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

One thing, however, that I find very interesting, is the part about the 'torn' countries and the 'identity crisis' they would go through. What side is to prevail? What's would be the strongest element that would determine the country's civilization? Religion?

True, Turkey is an excellent example of such a 'torn' country but there has to be other countries that are similar. Could Mongolia be one? As a nation they have had tremendous influence from the Soviet Union. Their social behavior, alphabet are deeply influenced and they do not have much tolerance for the China. But this is yet to be seen.

End of History?! My response would be ...

Having re-read Fukuyama's article I still find still myself baffled in front of the question of "the end of history?" I like to believe that man is a being that is destined to perpetually evolve in every aspect, even when it comes to ideologies. And the fact that we have not seen any ideologies taking over the world lately does not mean that there are none, it just means that the critical mass of people needed to do that has not yet been reached. True, democracy as an idea and a system has been adopted by the most of the world, but does that really count when different governments have a different interpretation of it, thus making the terms "individual freedom" and "inclusive society" so relative? There is one thing for sure, though, the spreading of western liberal democracy has been put on hold by the powerful authocracy of China. And this year China even got the chance to demonstrate its power by holding the Olympics! ... This means that liberal democracy still has a long way to go before it becomes the ultimate political and economic ideology of humankind, so "the End of History" might be a little further away than what Fukuyama anticipated.