Do the positive facets of globalization outweigh the negative ones?

This question has haunted me since I met Tosh and read his book, Rising Elephant. Tosh believes that soon India and China will be the paramount economic (and even military) powers of the world. Bully for him; although a thoroughly naturalized westerner he’s proud of his Indianism; he’s like a bridge between East and West.

Personally I’m less interested in economic and political pwer than in moral and spiritual power. This reduces itself largely to who has done the most eliminate hunger and poverty in the world.

India and China have been two of the chief beneficiaries of globalization. This gives rise to the primary question: has it promoted or diminished hunger and poverty. On the web we find many people have addressed this, but hard facts are hard to come by.

My initial enthusiasm for glob. was a bit dulled when I learned about the thousands of Central American farmers undercut by subsidized grain in the U.S. and Europe. At that point the question became have more people in the emerging countries (like India and China) escaped poverty than those reduced to it by grain subsidies.

The Cancun Conference of 2003 cast some light on that question.

To be Continued….