Is Globalization Inevitable?

Throughout our class discussions about globalization a question that has ocurred to me several times is: Is globalization inevitable? Was globalization impossible to avoid and therefore unable to be stopped? I believe that the onset of modern globalization was inevitable given the technological advancements and historical events of the last century. Events such as the two world wars and genocides that have taken place over the past century have revealed that national independence from the rest of the world on the part of states and international law and organization were not suited to stop such events. States answered this realization by expanding their levels of interdependence for stability. More important though to the inevitability of globalization I believe are the technological advancements that have recently taken place. Technologies such as the internet, instant communications, and faster travel around the world have made it impossible to ignore the influence of the rest of the globe in one’s own country. Technology has essentially forced economics to take on a more global reach. It is impossible to imagine companies in liberal countries ignoring the benefits of technology in making capital movement, communication, investment, and manufacturing across borders easier. Companies in liberal states are essential by nature forced to take advantage of these advancements which allow them to expand their markets and increase their profits with ease. But can globalization be stopped or is its continued development as inevitable as its development so far? I think that as integration increases among states, citizens may see their traditional cultures fading away into an international hybrid culture. In response to this fading, people will want to find something to cling to and call their own and I think that this would result in extreme nationalism which would be characterized by people sinking into small groups of national identity and trying to avoid more global integration. A historical example of just such a case of this is ancient Rome. The Roman Empire encompassed most of Europe at its height and integrated into itself the many different nations it had conquered. The Empire collapsed though, and the nations that it had integrated sunk into themselves and lead to the creation of the nationally fractured and warring Europe of the Middle Ages. We can even see something similar to this happening in the Middle East in the form of Salafism lead by Osama bin Laden. Salafists see the states of the Middle East being dominated by Western states and as being un-Islamic. Salafists want to see in response to this a return to the original state of Islam under a literal translation of the Qur’an with all Muslims living in a reunited Caliphate in the Middle East. This is an example to a group seeing its identity fading away as a result of integration and globalization and responding to it through extreme nationalism. I think that the future of globalization will depend on how people see their identities. If they see their identities as changing and embrace that change then globalization will continue to be inevitable. However, if people see their identities as changing and do not embrace that change and resort to extreme nationalism then I see globalization hitting a major road block or even imploding.