It all Began with Christopher Columbus!!

Christopher Columbus primary goal when he sailed the blue seas was to prove to everyone that the world was not flat and that it was round. If you go back to 1400 (1492-1800), you will see the beginnings of globalization with Columbus's discovery of the new world. Although fueled by religious conquest's this was the beginning of how far an industrial country could reach, produce and take from another country. In Globalization 2.0(1800-2000), you begin to see the introduction of European mercantilism, the expansion of railroads and sea transportation, the development of stock companies, new market development, cheap labor, and raw materials. Beginning in the year 2000, we enter globalization 3.0 in which we see more advances in global electronic interconnectivity and communication. Globalization 3.0 lets us work, hire, and do business with almost whoever we please. My argument is because Columbus set sails back in the 1400’s he

opened the door to an economic flattening of the world and with each phase of globalization, the door has opened to all types of actors trying to get a piece of the economic pie.

To some, this is a good thing. Free market, free trade, capitalism is what we are all about. However, these actors (be it governmental or private) do not always take into consideration the political, geographical, cultural, and the international relation impact that they may have in a state or country nor do they have the purview of the conflicts and or destruction that they may leave behind or enter in. Reason being, the goals of the autonomous actor’s may be focused just on the exchange of products and the competitive edge in a particular market but not all that concerned with regulation, social accountability, and or the policies and ethics of their home country.  

Here the lies question, if you have corporations and private security firms acting in the name of economics, and there is no designated institution working on the behalf of the greater good then who  decides who has the authority to regulate commerce, fairness, consumer entitlement,  and privacy and environmental laws? What if there are no laws to regulate, what will bind the ethical actions of all parties? If there is a conflict, who steps in to mediate? Whose responsibility is it? I’m sure none of these questions was on the mind of Columbus when he took the challenge, but as a result, these are issues and conflicts we know will need to solve the question is who is going to address them.