The Effects of Globalization in Turkey

The issue of globalization for the people of the United States has been a long and terrifying problem for them. Although other countries many have had issues with this problem it appears the U.S. is still being affected by it to this day. Although not everyone in the United States may have been affected by the issue. Majority of the people (mid class and lower class) have somehow been affected by it or knows someone that has been affect because of it. This issue of globalization has been talked about by politicians so it appears it had to been a major impact to the country. Thus, this issue of globalization has been an issue for the United States for a long-time way before the twentieth centuries. Therefore, this paper will discuss what is globalization and how it has impacted Americans views and how some people’s views changed because of it and finally, what is the impact of communications technology. All these key topics will help with getting a better understanding of what these issue is and how it has affected society today.

Has Turkey adopted both Western and Islamic principles? Westernization is the social process of becoming familiar with or converting to the customs and practices of Western Civilization. It is the accepting of western ideas in the fields of science, technology, philosophy, and other social materialistic aspects of life. However, Islam is the submission to the will of God. Unlike westernization, Islam is a spiritual practice, therefore, has its own unique identity, culture, and principles of social life. Since the day of independence, Turkey has always aligned itself with the western world. Only until recently, under the Justice and development party led by Recep Erdogan Turkey is starting to practice and meddle in the affairs of the Middle East.

Globalization has transformed the world economy over the past years. The spread of ideas and technology across borders has facilitated new avenues of trade, creating new markets and expanding others. However not only has the world benefitted

We all live in a globalized world; due to technologies being rapidly made it has driven globalization. Now we are well informed about other countries across the entire world and able to communicate internationally. Globalization has created a framework for cooperation among homelands. Generally, it has affected our nations and, indirectly we, the citizens in various ways; economically, politically, and socially, however it is a fast integration and association of various nations, which shapes the world affairs on a global level. The concept of globalization is evident in the many difficult challenges that come with it, involving our cultural differences, and the regulating challenge of globalizations. The phenomenon of globalization has affected many cultures around the world, resulting in the Americanization of other nations.

An economic marvel has grasped countries around the world, the scope of which only continues to grow—globalization. From our favourite retail chains to the producers of our cellphones and computers, globalization influences every aspect of our lives. The emergence of the phenomenon of globalization in the 1980’s has positively impacted the international economic community, by reducing trade barriers and in turn creating jobs, innovated technology, as well as stimulating economic growth in developing countries.

We cannot succeed when half of us are held back”. Malala Yousafzai. This is the way that feels a young girl in a globalized world today. There is not clear when Globalization starts, but some people believe that it begins with the end of the Cold War and the separation of the Soviet Union, others along with the arrival of man on the moon or with the development of telecommunications. As a matter of fact, Globalization is not always a synonymous of progress; however, the process of people’s interaction and their desire of succeed along with the development of technology and communications have created a globalized World. Although, the term globalization is recently used in “the New Economy” to study variations in world politics and economies, it has a broad interpretation. The most common meaning define Globalization as the tendency to reach a world dimension or surpass national borders. In either case, the globalization has evolved thought the last 50 years and it has positives and negatives effects reflected on economy, environment and human rights.

During the last decade of the twentieth century, the word ‘globalization’ has become an increasingly prominent feature of political, social, and economic discussion in academic and policymaking circles, as well as in the media. The processes and outcomes of globalization drew attention and debates that had one thing in common. The research shows that nearly everyone agrees that globalization is a trend that is changing the face of the world, and as a result the world society lives in a more ‘globalized’ world. Nearly two and a half decades passed since 1990s, and studies have been conducted to examine the causes and consequences of globalization. Moreover, nearly every person experiences some type of globalization and can testify firsthand the effects it has on their life, society, and the state. The analysis of the effects that globalization dynamics have on the world society indicates that globalization has a significant positive impact via spreading opportunities and wealth across nations, stimulating innovation and productivity, enhancing the economic development of poorer countries, and helping to improve living standards.

Because the state is the enactor of policies and proposals that affect its constituents’ lives, it also must define the secular and the religious, which ultimately leads to a privileging of some forms of religiosity over others. For instance, in reference to the Turkish government’s policy proposals elevating the Alevi minority’s status, Hurd concludes that “these [legal] designations marginalize multiform and dissenting forms of religiosity, occluding a broader field of human activity, investments, and practices that may or may not be captured in the set of human goings-on identified as religion” (107). Here the state attempts to craft particular religious groups in order to gain some sort of special legitimacy within the public sphere; however, by doing this, the state not only molds a particular religious subjectivity but also rejects the one’s which cannot be framed within the model of the public sphere. Unlike Charles Taylor’s emphasis that the public sphere is “a locus in which rational views [that the governed consent] are elaborated which guide the government,” it is the modern state government that ultimately creates the governed, who will participate within the public sphere

In its relative dark history Turkey, has come a long way. Overcoming its continuing struggle with its Muslim dominance, to becoming a powerful democratic Muslim state. Seeking full membership into the European Union (EU) to be a first Muslim EU state, and a member of NATO. With the country being part of not only Europe, it also shares geopolitical aspects with Asia and the Middle East, Mediterranean and Balkans. While trying to bring modern values to an elected Islamist government.

With our continuing interest in the Middle East and Russia’s recent action in Crimea, Turkey has become one of the most important allies to the western world. However, their recent actions suggest that turkey is moving away from the west. Now that Turkey is starting to thrive independently, the west is no longer as appealing. Under the leadership of its current Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it is clear that Turkey is focusing more on its self-interest in the Middle East. Erdogan is a devout Muslim with a fundamentalist past who, now that he is in power, has cemented his role by dismantling the checks and balances of the Turkish political system. With public backing and changing economic condition that favor Turkey, Erdogan has been able to steer Turkey away from its secularist roots and away from western influence.

Turkey, a relatively new nation, is not new to internal conflict and the oppression of minorities. Wedged between Europe and the Middle East, the area occupied by Turkey has long served as a crossroads between these areas, and, as a result, Turkey's majority Islamic Arab populace is smattered with significant pockets of minorities. These religious and ethnic minorities have been the source of much controversy in Turkey, but now change appears to be on the horizon. As Turkey seeks the approval of the European Union, it has begun to implement impressive humanitarian reforms that should drastically improve the plight of the minorities that call the nation home.

The concept of globalization is a complex and peculiar one, failing to be definable by a single, precise definition. Centrally, globalization involves information and goods being exchanged amongst different countries. These interactions and interchanges among countries globally over time is due to an increase in communication and transport networks. Globalization is often divided into three main areas being economic globalization, cultural globalization and political globalization. All three are vital areas to one’s life and globalization is said to have a large impact on each. Although globalization is controversial in the aspect that it cannot be declared just how much of an influence the notion has in the world. Political scientists such as Muhammad Ijaz Latif, Anton Pelinka and Martin Wolf all discuss this issue in their respective pieces as well as differing aspects of globalization such as the role the European Union plays in relation to globalization, the different perspectives of globalization and the challenges of the nation-state in regards to globalization.

I have always wondered about the affairs between states and political strategies the states apply to determine their relations. My interest and curiosity in affairs between states and their designated policies to determine their affairs became more obvious when I was at high school. I started to read about political history, specifically; political history of Europe between 16th – 20th centuries. Events like Thirty Years War, Treaty of Westphalia, French Revolution, First and Second World Wars in Europe, which shaped today’s international system in many ways, developed my interest in International Politics and their effects to the societies. Throughout high school years, In addition to my readings on European political history; my country, Turkey’s foreign policy influenced me to study on it. Turkey’s geostrategic position is unique and worthy to study. By security perspective, economically and politically stable Turkey is vital for the stability of the Middle East and Caucasus. Also important for the security of EU. By economic point of view, developing energy projects such as; TANAP (Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project), which will be passing through Turkey and existing energy projects such as; Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which is passing through Turkey, are important for energy distribution to Europe. Furthermore, Turkey can play an important role to enhance commercial and economic

“Globalization is not just one impact of the new technologies that are reshaping the economies of the third millennium” (Thurow 19-31). When speaking of globalization, most people will not have a complete understanding as of what it actually means or what aspects of the world it affects. Globalization promotes free trade and creates jobs. The capital markets attract investors, resort cheap labor, and leads to job losses in some areas of higher wage. While all of this is happening, the world economy is being effected: economically, culturally, socially, and politically.

In today’s world, with a few notable exceptions, nearly everyone in every region of the world has access to the same products, information and services. A long-distance relationship is no longer so distant, since each party involved in the relationship can communicate through Skype, Facebook or through any of the vast amount of social media available. A person in Easter Island, one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world, can go to the other side of the world and travel to Canada. An economic crisis in Argentina could affect the economic landscape in Brazil. A person in Chile or Peru can buy an Abercrombie and Fitch t-shirt because this transnational corporation decided to expand its market to developing countries, or as you might prefer, to emerging economies in South America. Although many of these examples might be trivial, these are the consequences of globalization.