Post by maruf on Jul 30, 2004 22:47:16 GMT -5
This is why we know of course as Da'wah carries, we must follow the affairs of the "superpowers" or "superpower" of the day.
was-salaam
When a superpower sneezes, we shudder
Julian Hewitt The Boston Globe
Saturday, July 31, 2004
'Ubuntu' of globalization
BOSTON In South Africa, we have a term, "Ubuntu," which refers to the spirit of the community. It is a shortened version of a Xhosa saying which means that I am a person through other people. It means that my humanity is tied to yours.
This is probably the single most important aspect of living in a highly connected planet: Our humanity is tied together. We must respect each other, and we must always keep our interconnection in mind.
The United States needs to understand the meaning of these South African phrases more than any other industrialized nation. The ultimate global power, the United States creates ripples that cause big waves around the world. This happens more frequently than the average American comprehends.
When the Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan, cuts interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, it has a huge impact on me in South Africa. Straightaway it influences my still sizable student loan, as the South African financial markets react to this news by pre-empting a cut or a hike by the South African Reserve Bank. In short, globalization enables Greenspan's small action to have a large effect on me 13,000 miles away in South Africa.
Imagine how many other powerful decisions resonate with me as a citizen of South Africa. When the United States refuses to sign the Kyoto Protocol, it forces me to apply a few more layers of sunscreen in the summer. When the United States attacks Iraq, it heightens the religious animosity between the large Muslim and Christian communities living near Cape Town. Hollywood movies, music, multinationals, foreign policy, farming subsidies, and import tariffs have a similar effect. These endless ripples are reaching my distant shore.
As I spend time in the United States, however, I am discovering some startling realities. Despite the critical role of the United States in world affairs, for example, many U.S. citizens do not hold passports. They have traveled to many states but not to any other countries. They would be hard pressed to point out South Africa on a map.
The average American gets little information about what is happening in the world or about the role of the United States in world events.
Twenty or 30 years ago, there would be nothing wrong with an American who never left home, never owned a passport, never spoke a second language, never knew the capital of Denmark. But we live in a globalized world. We live in a world of causes and effects. We live in a world where a single superpower has an overwhelming influence on global affairs.
It is dangerous to be the source of global ripples but to ignore their effect. Over tme, those ripples may cause waves that will slap back on your shores.
Julian Hewitt is a 2004 Clinton Democracy Fellow from South Africa and president of AIESEC South Africa, a student-run organization focused on developing global change-agents. This comment first appeared in The Boston Globe.
Copyright © 2004 The International Herald Tribune | www.iht.com
was-salaam
When a superpower sneezes, we shudder
Julian Hewitt The Boston Globe
Saturday, July 31, 2004
'Ubuntu' of globalization
BOSTON In South Africa, we have a term, "Ubuntu," which refers to the spirit of the community. It is a shortened version of a Xhosa saying which means that I am a person through other people. It means that my humanity is tied to yours.
This is probably the single most important aspect of living in a highly connected planet: Our humanity is tied together. We must respect each other, and we must always keep our interconnection in mind.
The United States needs to understand the meaning of these South African phrases more than any other industrialized nation. The ultimate global power, the United States creates ripples that cause big waves around the world. This happens more frequently than the average American comprehends.
When the Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan, cuts interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, it has a huge impact on me in South Africa. Straightaway it influences my still sizable student loan, as the South African financial markets react to this news by pre-empting a cut or a hike by the South African Reserve Bank. In short, globalization enables Greenspan's small action to have a large effect on me 13,000 miles away in South Africa.
Imagine how many other powerful decisions resonate with me as a citizen of South Africa. When the United States refuses to sign the Kyoto Protocol, it forces me to apply a few more layers of sunscreen in the summer. When the United States attacks Iraq, it heightens the religious animosity between the large Muslim and Christian communities living near Cape Town. Hollywood movies, music, multinationals, foreign policy, farming subsidies, and import tariffs have a similar effect. These endless ripples are reaching my distant shore.
As I spend time in the United States, however, I am discovering some startling realities. Despite the critical role of the United States in world affairs, for example, many U.S. citizens do not hold passports. They have traveled to many states but not to any other countries. They would be hard pressed to point out South Africa on a map.
The average American gets little information about what is happening in the world or about the role of the United States in world events.
Twenty or 30 years ago, there would be nothing wrong with an American who never left home, never owned a passport, never spoke a second language, never knew the capital of Denmark. But we live in a globalized world. We live in a world of causes and effects. We live in a world where a single superpower has an overwhelming influence on global affairs.
It is dangerous to be the source of global ripples but to ignore their effect. Over tme, those ripples may cause waves that will slap back on your shores.
Julian Hewitt is a 2004 Clinton Democracy Fellow from South Africa and president of AIESEC South Africa, a student-run organization focused on developing global change-agents. This comment first appeared in The Boston Globe.
Copyright © 2004 The International Herald Tribune | www.iht.com