William Duiker's "fragmentation" argument, found in his Contemporary World History, Fifth Edition (Duiker), acknowledges the fact of globalization and states that Friedman's discussion about the impact of globalization is "stimulating" (Duiker 351). Simultaneously, Duiker believes that there is a reaction to globalization. Duiker believes that societies will react to the globalization trend by trying to preserve: local interests such as local businesses and jobs; their identities; and their senses of meaning and purpose (Duiker 342). This argument also appears to be quite logical without contradicting Friedman's theory. For example, the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) among the United States, Canada and Mexico is designed to eliminate investment and trade barriers among those nations, essentially opening up all three countries to further economic globalization (Friedman 229-230). Simultaneously, the local reaction within the United States, for one, was angry protest by American laborers and labor unions because NAFTA would cause the loss of jobs in America, as corporations sought cheaper labor in Mexico (Duiker 334). Both NAFTA's movement toward economic globalization and the local "fragmentation" by American labor fighting to keep local jobs are current economic realities. In fact, Friedman refers to a type of fragmentation when he discusses the negative politically-motivated reactions to NAFTA during the 2004 Presidential campaign (Friedman 229-230). Consequently, both Friedman's theory and Duiker's "fragmentation"...
Conclusion) My opinion Both Friedman's argument and Druicker's perspective have their particular merits. We can well see how Friedman may be correct. After all, there are fewer wars now than in the past; the world is more closely interconnected; resources are sparser; and countries are earnestly concentered about their economic welfare. Friedman's reasoning does sound legitimate enough and it explains why many countries are deterred from fighting. On the other hand, it
The current construction of World-Systems analysis holds that core countries, including America, Europe's thriving economies, and developed nations in Africa and Asia, derive enormous economic and political power from "the axial division of labor of a capitalist world-economy (that) divides production into core-like products and peripheral products" (Wallerstein 28). Madagascar's relative abundance of untapped natural resources, in the form of massive "old-growth" tropical rainforests, and deposits of minerals like
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