It’s all coming together…….

These are all sensitive times in our history, as the evolution of globalization materializes its continual changing phenomenon’s that incorporate integration, interchange, ideas, and culture globally. Globalization takes on different manifestations in distinctive eras, witnessing dramatic local and international events. While some would restrict
globalization to political and economic effects, and even more specifically to liberalization, privatization, neoliberalism, multilateralism, colonialism, or bilateralism politics, globalization actually affects so much more. The atypical side of globalization encompasses an interactional and humanistic denominator that I previewed in some of my blogs, such as crime, human and equal rights, religion, migration and immigration, and environmental health.

Globalization parallels other process and combines opportunities and disadvantages, challenges and successes; it also creates many internal and international connections and conflicts, as each country transitions with internalizing and implementing unfamiliar systems and processes. Globalization has a worldwide audience and everyone is under a microscope. Changes do not occur without speculation, judgment, rebellion, and acceptance, and I guess one would say justification reside in the growth or improvements it sustains in developing a country.

Globalization is a part of a countries economic system as it affects all aspects such as, inflation, budget, employment or unemployment, poverty, entertainment, communications, transportation, education, trade, health care, interest rates and taxes, investments, treasury etc., and all have major significance in the growth and development and symbiotic relationship with man, country, and nature.

Egypt is an exemplary country, it is the cradle of civilization, and historically part of where globalization began with our human ancestors innovations and migrating them to other countries. As a country it has experienced fundamental socioeconomic and political growth in the last decade, with many hard knocks. Egypt’s evolution, a component of what we refer to as globalization, has gone from the pharaoh’s and leaders with imperialism and revolutionary changes affecting its society. Its religious transformation to Muslim has been one of the biggest conversions and controversy. Some of these changes felt triggered by the introduction of liberalization in the 1070’s, followed by privatization of independent sectors and other global ideas.

Egypt has power struggles with the McWorld’s and Jihad’s considering whether adopting more external worldview or staying with more internal views and idea. As I mentioned in my blog, I see the pro’s and con’s in both systems and do not see one existing without the other. Egypt having two main religious groups the Islamic and Coptic Christians brings about much religious and ethnic conflict, as one group tries to control and convert the other. It has brought about many inequities that have resulted in protests, violence and loss of life.

Neoliberalism and privatization does not seem to have much of a positive effect in Egypt, as it appears to be politically well connected aiding to inflation, reduced labor market, unemployment, suppressing education, and a reduced poverty rate to 20% in 2011. The Internet was approximately introduced into Egypt in 1993, and led to the introduction of cybercrime and network intrusion. However, there are counter measures in the introduction of a “cyber crime bill” in attempts to control Internet crime and its occurrences.

Religion and politics are often topics of conversation, but are usually the most heated ones, and is also true to Egyptians. Religion as a Islamic or Christian is so much a part of Egyptian life you cannot separate the two. However, political aspects have now become a major part of their worship time and discouraging to the people. Some people feel the two are separable, however, in my opinion political and social order began with religious ordinances and insect in ways they cannot be separated, and that one should not dominate the other in respective venues.

The globalization discussion on multilateralism or bilateralism, brought the discussion to the Egypt’s “life line” the Nile River. This is the umbilical cord to Egypt and is the center of their existence. It is not only the water they drink, it feeds the soil they cultivate, the transportation channel to trade, travel and tourism, production of bricks for housing and papyrus for paper and books. However, Egypt has not been playing well in the sandbox, as they are holding to a 1929 agreement that had given them along with Sudan more control over the Nile Basin than the other riparian states, and to this day remains an bone of contention, creating major concern and conflict. However, the other riparian states have joined in the Nile Basin Initiative
in a collaboration effort, and introduction of the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), to secure the Nile Basin
waters utilization to make it more equitable, sustainable, and protected, giving some principles to manage.

A struggle of all nations is inequality and human rights and this is no different in Egypt. Women are suppressed from labor markets, are married young and maintain a housewife position as a fundamental religious belief in obedience to Islamic tradition, and when they do enter the workforce their wages and position are lower, with few in government. Human rights violations are also prevalent as women suffer from sexual harassment, domestic violence, body mutilation, and inequities with divorce, marriage and child custody. Egypt’s perpetual human rights crisis is one of the most critical, with police brutality in peaceful protest, prolonged detention and loss of life, along with violation of free expression escolating with students and journalist, and gay and lesbian rights not culturally accepted.

Lastly, environmental health being a huge global issue where Egypt shares, and is affected by the same physical, chemical and biological ecosystem problems. Egypt is not just affected by environmental factors but population as well; its relationship to environment is byproducts of such things as car emissions, agricultural pesticides, dredging, industrial effluents, sewage and urbanization. Other things such as desertification, droughts, earthquakes, flash floods, landsides, wind, dust and sand storms are equally debilitating to Egypt’s environmental health and require constant monitoring.

Egypt’s people have many aspirations, values and ideals that shape their lives and country’s future. Globalization occurs every single day throughout the entire world, and Egypt will continue to interconnect globally to the world. New opportunities will emerge with new challenges as old issues continue to be ironed out…..”It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity…Kofi Annan

Citations:

Anwar, W. (n.d.). Environmental health in Egypt. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 206, 339-350.

Barber, B. (1992). Jihad vs. mcworld. The Atlantic Monthly, 1-18.http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1992/03/jihad-vs-mcworld/303882/

Embracing traditions: Egypt. (2015). In World Culture Encyclopedia (pp. 1-16), http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Egypt.html

Esteban, J., & Ray, D. (2008). On the salience of Ethnic Conflict. American Economic

Review, 98(5), 2185-2202.

Rollins, T. (n.d.). Egypt’s cyber crime bill. Retrieved May 24, 2015, from http://www.madamasr.com/sections/politics/egypt’s-cyber-crime-bill

Schwartz, M. (2011, October 16). The Egyptian Uprising: The Mass Strike in the Time of

Neoliberal Globalization. Retrieved from http://newlaborforum.cuny.edu/?s=the+egyptian+uprising

Stuart, E. (n.d.). How politics and unrest are changing religious life in Egypt. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://national.deseretnews.com/article/2452/how-politics-and-unrest-are-changing-religious-life-in-egypt.html

United Nations Human Rights (2015). What are human rights? (n.d.). Retrieved 2015, from http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Pages/WhatareHumanRights.aspx

United Nations Development Programme (2010). Egypt Human Development Report 2010. (n.d.). Retrieved 11/21/2015, from http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/reports/243/egypt_2010_en.pdf

Yigzaw, Z. (n.d.). The Nile: Why multilateralism and no room for divide and rule? Retrieved April 20, 2013, from http://www.thereporterethiopia.com/index.php/opinion/commentary/item/369-the-nile-why-multilateralism-and-no-room-for-divide-and-rule?