The Dark Side of Globalization

Edited by Jorge Heine and Ramesh Thakur
With a foreword by Saskia Sassen

The Dark Side of Globalization
Edited by Jorge Heine and Ramesh Thakur

ISBN: 978-92-808-1194-0
320 pages; paper; US$35.00
March 2011

Seen by some as a desirable and irreversible engine of prosperity and progress, globalization is resisted by others as the soft underbelly of a corporate imperialism that plunders and profiteers in the global marketplace. Globalization has brought many benefits, including the reduction of poverty in several countries. But it also has a dark side: the unleashing of negative forces as a result of the compression of time and space made possible by modern technology. Examples include the transnational flows of terrorism, drug and human trafficking, organized crime, money laundering, and global pandemics.

How do these various expressions of "uncivil society" manifest themselves? How do they exploit the opportunities offered by globalization? How can governments, international organizations and civil society deal with the problem?

From arms trafficking in West Africa through armed insurgencies in South Asia and the upsurge of jihad in the age of globalization, this book examines the challenges that the dark forces of globalization pose to the international system and the responses they have triggered. Written largely by authors from developing countries, the book's goal is to help maximize the beneficial consequences of globalization while muting its baleful effects.

"Timed just right! This book will be welcome reading in classrooms and policy circles worldwide in which globalization is a problem as well as a solution to the ongoing financial and economic crisis. All aspects of the issue are dissected by an unusual group of contributors. These international voices are not the usual suspects. Indispensable reading for anyone who wants to understand the full range of contents and discontents caused by globalization."
—Thomas G. Weiss, Director, Ralph Bunche Institute of International Studies, CUNY, and past president, International Studies Association

"An excellent collection that breaks away from conventional thinking to address globalization's unsavory elements."
—Diana Tussie, FLACSO, Argentina

Jorge Heine is Distinguished Fellow, Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI); CIGI Chair in Global Governance, Balsillie School of International Affairs; and Professor of Political Science, Wilfrid Laurier University. Ramesh Thakur is Professor of Political Science, University of Waterloo.

Foreword, Saskia Sassen

Introduction: Globalization and transnational uncivil society, Jorge Heine and Ramesh Thakur

Part I: Domination and fragmentation

Globalization, imperialism and violence, William D. Coleman
New state structures in South America, Edgardo Lander
The African connection, Garth le Pere and Brendan Vickers

Part II: Challenges

Arms trafficking in West Africa, Dorcas Ettang
Organized crime in Southern Africa, Charles Goredema
Maoism in a globalizing India, Ajay K. Mehra
Globalization and South Asian insurgencies, S. D. Muni
Terrorism and political movement in Kashmir, Rekha Chowdhary
Jihad in the age of globalization, Nasra Hassan
Security challenges in a unipolar globalized world, M. J. Akbar

Part III: Responses

Regional integration as a response to globalization, Luk Van Langenhove and Tiziana Scaramagli
Civil society and trade protests in the Americas, Marisa von Bülow
Global production, local protest and the Uruguay River pulp mills project, Ricardo A. Gutiérrez and Gustavo Almeira
Actors and activities in the anti–human trafficking movement, Kirsten Foot

Conclusions: A bumpy ride to globalization, Google and jihad, Jorge Heine and Ramesh Thakur

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