GLOBALIZATION

Doubts about the global economic order, which extend far beyond organized protests, have to be viewed in the light of the dual presence of abject misery and unprecedented prosperity in the world in which we live. Even though the world is incomparably richer than ever before, ours is also a world of extraordinary deprivation and staggering inequality. This elemental contrast explains the widespread skepticism about the global order, and even the patience of the general …

…crackdown on illicit arms (as proposed by Kofi Annan) is a small illustration of a big obstacle related to the global power balance. 10. Finally, we have reason enough to support globalization in the best sense of that idea. But there are also critically important institutional and policy issues that need to be addressed at the same time. It is not easy to disperse the doubts without seriously addressing the underlying concerns that motivate those doubts.