Effects of Globalization on Ethnic Identity and Conflict
...raq in its hopes to rebuild their government into a peaceful and democratic direction. Many Iraqis feel that America is attempting to strip their identity away from them by imposing the “American” way of life onto their people. The United States should not use their power to influence an entire nation to reform their traditions to a way the US feels is sufficient. The Iraqi people need to restore their country on their own in order to maintain their unique ethnic identity. There are also the positive effects of globalization on ethnic identity. Many cultures and religions infringe the basic morals of humanity. In these instances, globalization aids in the protection of human rights. In the Ivory Coast there is a civil war between Muslims and Christians. People are being killed and religious buildings are burned down. Ka Madi, a man who has lived in the Ivory Coast since he was ten, said, “It pains me to say it, but if they gave me Ivorian citizenship right now, I wouldn't want to take it…Before all of this, we had a peaceful life. It's the politicians that did this to us” (Emily Wax. Ivorians Confront An Identity Crisis. The Washington Post. 2/21/03). Madi should not feel such disgust for his own country; he should not be treated unjustly. These religious-based civil wars should not happen, and globalization allows the rest of the world to find out when they are occurring and help put a stop to the aggression. Globalization is thought to influence ethnic conflict. Ethnic conflict, according to John R. Bowen, “…has become a shorthand way to speak about any and all violent confrontations between groups of people living in the same country. Some of these conflicts involve ethnic or cultural identity, but most are about getting more power, land, or other resources” (The Myth of Global Ethnic Conflict. 1996). In Africa, many people have immigrated, such as the whites, the Lebanese, and Indians. These colonists became the market-dominant minorities throughout the continent and globalization has given them access to businesses, the ability to create monopolies, and causes a lot of resentment because all the other Africans are stuck in poverty. The whites have a major advantage politically and economically, giving them the power to rule at the expense of the black Africans. Politicians also have a significant impact on ethnic conflict. In post-communist Russia, the Jewish market-dominant minorities gave Boris Yeltzin money for his campaign and in return got businesses and shares of companies. Now the Jews are very wealthy in Russia, but Putin is currently in power. He does not like the Jews and has little political gain from them, so there is conflict growing against the Jews. Anti-Semitism is becoming more and more widespread throughout Russia. An important question to ask about the topic of globalization is, “how does it enable peaceful relations?” When there is conflict among nations, agreements can be reached through globalization that will benefit both ...