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V. MelikidzeGLOBALIZATION OF WORLD POLITICSIntroduction – What is Globalization?It is generally presumed that starting approximately the second half of the last century socialdevelopment on the planet takes place within confines of the single, complex process, which is knownas globalization. It is also presumed that the vast majority of people living on the Earth are affected bythis process sooner or later, one or the other way. Accordingly any person with the most basiceducation is acquainted with the term globalization, as well as with the other one closely related to it –global. These words have already become integral parts of colloquial language, at least in the relativelydeveloped countries. Thus at least at the personal level plenty of people have some general idea andown position (either positive or negative) regarding this process. 1As to formal definition of the term, situation is pretty different. There are so many definitions ofglobalization that in the end it is close to impossible for someone to reach any definite conclusion.Today there is a curios mixture of approaches and emphases that are often in tension with each other.Besides almost invariably they deal with symptoms and visible effects of globalization, rather than withcauses of this complex phenomenon. Based on these definitions one may surmise that globalization isvery good, that it’s very bad or either that it does not exist at all.This strongly reminds whatever Robert Heinlein wrote many decades ago – “for example, the verb“to be” in English has twenty-one distinct meanings, every single one which is false-to-fact” 2 . This maymean that we either do not understand the problem or rather prefer to restrain from defining it properly.Roots of such situation may be found in over politization of problems of the modern societaldevelopment, as well as in culture of political correctness, which does not allow giving proper definitionseven to the most harmless things 3 .Still considering the circumstances, plenty of things that are normally rather easy to understandbecome hard to explain. As a result we deal with situation rather accurately described in The Guardianback in 2002 – “In one clip, economics editor Evan Davies referred to "globalisation - whatever thatmeans". A panelist replied: "Well if he doesn't what it means, how the hell are we supposed to?" 4Ironically enough such situation prompted us to develop one more definition of globalization, whichmight be used as a starting point in comprehensive analysis of this phenomenon. The main criteriaapplied to this definition were – it should address underlying causes, not visible effects of globalization;should be politically neutral, should not attempt to evaluate globalization as such, be easy tocomprehend.Here is the definition -Globalization is a system of relations that enables the leading world power(s) to initiate andto some extent influence processes (directly or through their agents), which in the end definesocietal development trends throughout the world.Hence globalization is not the process of diffusion of various phenomena (physical or other)worldwide, as it’s commonly perceived. Growth of number of internet users or mobile phone ownersworldwide, intensification of global financial transactions, global sprawl of transnational corporations,emergence of common cultural values, expansion of McDonalds or Hollywood culture after all – allthese are not globalization, but rather its secondary consequences (often unforeseen), one may evenuse term – “symptom”.Globalization, as it is, lie in the deep structural changes that occur in the modern society, which inturn create enabling environment for all phenomena mentioned above. It’s impossible to develop andspread Internet worldwide (even if all necessary technologies are at hand) if there is no universallyacknowledged and often legalized principle of freedom of exchange of information. No corporation,1 Although in the majority of cases this happens as in quotation from National Geographic given below- A group ofAmerican tourists arrived in Italy not long ago. “Amazing!” one said to their tour guide, a friend of mine: “You havepizza here too.”A group of Japanese Boy Scouts landed in Chicago. “Amazing!” they told their troop leader. “They have McDonald’s heretoo.”NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, August 1999, http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/2000/culture/global/main.html2 Robert A. Heinlein “Elsewhen”, Assignment in Eternity, The New American Library, USA, copyright 1941.3 It is also justified from the point of view of pluralism of scientific opinion, to say nothing about the “publish or die”principle.4 Simon Jeffery, What is Globalization?, Thursday October 31, 2002,The Guardian122