This is not the first time that the world has faced a bio-threat. Back in 2003, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak resulted in 8000 cases and 800 deaths. The world came together, acting promptly by imposing immediate quarantine in some cases community quarantine and syndromic surveillance to contain the pandemic. Cut to 2020, we are faced with a new pandemic (COVID-19) and the world cannot be more divided than this. While there are lives lost in excess of 15000 world over to this virus, nations are yet to, China & the US, come together and fight this pandemic. Rather, […]
Category: Globalization
Africa: Playground for Asian Powers
Importance of Africa has increased manifold in the current geopolitical climate. In particular, the three Asian economies China, Japan and India have adopted a more muscular approach, as the resource rich continent features high on their global agenda. Given the three countries are in competition for influence, both within Asia and beyond, they are keenly investing in Africa’s infrastructure, energy and development sectors, seeking growth as strategic partners and markets. The Asian alignment for Africa comes at a time when the US has adopted a more isolationist approach and the African economies are bearing the brunt of commodity price fluctuations, […]
Integrated Planning is Vital for Sustainability
There is mounting evidence pointing towards the contribution of urban centers in global climate change, extinction of flora and fauna and large scale pollution. They indeed are counted as the main source of green-house gas emissions, especially in light of the economic, social and cultural activities of the human population which have failed on the sustainability parameters. This calls for an integrated planning which entails land management and developing potential means for mitigation of the biodiversity and environmental loss. To begin with, UNDP and UNEP define integrated development planning as an approach that simultaneously advances multiple benefits across the three […]
Protectionism, Migration and Environment
In recent times there has been a rise of protectionist policies and revisionist states. Democracies have increasingly being voting for nationalist leaders, in order to escape globalization and its extended upshots — increased immigration, unemployment, job competition, better revenues etc. However, one should remember globalization has been taking place for eons of centuries and it is here to stay. Simply closing your economy, enhancing tariffs or plugging the migration trend will not help. With technological advancements and innovations, the world is interconnected and interdependent more than ever. Established trade links, or formation of new ones for that matter, serve as […]
Globalization & Migration
Globalization, as Anthony Giddens has defined, is the intensification of the worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice—versa. Often perceived to be a present age phenomenon, globalization has been happening for centuries. It is intricately linked with trade dealings, whether in 1st century owing to the silk-road mechanism or in 16th century with the emergence of capitalism. It has encouraged free trade agreements between nations, development of multinational corporations, and a network for free flow of goods across the globe. This trans-national flow […]