Assignment VIII – Geopolitics and Globalization

EDT 646 Spring 2006

3-16-06

The three points I choose are “Too Frustrated, “Too Many Toyotas,” and “Too Personally Insecure.” Combined, I believe these factors could lead to one of two polar opposite futures. Below I have created two short narratives giving a broad overview of each of these potential futures. Following the narratives I have included an explanation of what I understand of the three points, listed above, which govern the stories. After each point I have included an explanation as to why as well as how each point may be affecting schools today.

The Positive Potential

As the world continues down its path of global capitalism the nations of the world are faced with a challenge. The supply of oil, the developed world’s main energy source, is becoming scarce under the pressures of continued economic expansions. In order to stay competitive and maintain growth the worlds leading economic powers are collaborating to develop new renewable energy sources. Leading the charge is the United States who, after the 2008 elections, finally adopted a policy of seriously reducing its dependence on foreign oil supplies. In order to accomplish this reduction the US began investing heavily into researching these new energy sources. Not to be outdone China began adopting radical new green city designs and developed its own research programs for renewable energy resources. Ten years later the global need for oil dips for the first time in the new century and causes worries over potential reduction in energy supplies by terrorist attacks to substantially subside.

The Negative Potential

The powerhouse nations of the world continue in their thirst for oil. China, in order to maintain economic growth, continues to play a destabilizing role in the world by protecting rouge nuclear programs in exchange for oil. As a direct result of this interference, Iran is able to complete their nuclear weapon program and begin producing nuclear warheads. Two years later Iran uses its nukes not on the expected target of Israel, but instead on its now “American controlled” democratic neighbor Iraq. This move is conceived with the two fold idea of removing the American influence in the region combined with the desire to set back the Iraqi oil field production in order to maintain higher global oil prices. The intended effect is misconceived as China, Russia, and the US to invade the area to war over control for the remaining oil reserves. WWIII ensues.

Negative Potential Reasoning

China has proven over and over that it is not interested in playing fare with the rest of the world on the capitalist market stage. It wants only to dominate the world on all fronts. This can be seen through its unwillingness to truly float is currency, its decision to create its own standards in technology, and in a recent trend, its collaborative bloating of prices once it gains global control of manufacturing a particular product. (Hunter, 2006)

The reasons that this would happen are not totally because China is a big “evil.” Though again, I do strongly believe that China’s intentions in the free market world it has now entered are not to play fair but to play to win at any cost. I would suggest the US also holds great responsibility because of its long reign at the top. It (the US) needs to lead the world by example and not by force. If we continue to push people around across the globe we will continue to loss the credibility it takes to influence the world to change. If instead we focus on innovations at home, instead of always trying to police the world, we would be in much better shape.

Selected Items

Too Frustrated

Muslims are frustrated and humiliated with their weakened state in the global economy. They want to return the glory days of the 17^th century, but cannot and are constantly slapped in the face that the “West” is superior to them. As a group Muslims either seek to integrate with the “West” or to avoid the “West.” The integrators adopt new technologies as a solution to the glory day problem. The avoiders instead seek to punish those in the “West” and bring them down to an equal level.

Why?

I selected this because I recently when through a seminar on Muslim Thought and the History of Islam. What I read in Friedman’s book only confirms what I had learned at the seminar. An interesting fact that Friedman did not cover was the Muslim’s cultures openness to relationship building. This is important in schools especially as we as a nation have to opportunity to build solid relationships with our Islamic nationals in the education system. If we do not, we risk perpetuating the frustration Muslims feel overseas within our national population.

Too Many Toyotas

The world’s consumption of energy continues to expand. Now the US, China, Russia and India are all in desperate need of energy resources, but the supply is very limited. If the US tries to push China/India/Russia into less consumption during their industrialization they will face a difficult challenge for two reasons. First the US consumed massive amounts of oil during its industrial revolution and second we continue to do so with out truly seeking alternative energy sources.

Why?

I believe the struggle for energy has the single most devastating potential for world wide disaster of any factors listed. In order to overcome this obstacle it will take a fundamental shift in power and thinking among the industrialized nations of the world. The benefits for any nation who adopts such a change may far out weigh those that don’t. Unfortunately, the fear of lost of power among the powerful is driving this change to the back burner.

In relation to education, if we influence our children through our education system to care about the world and our future prosperity instead of football and SUVs that suck gas (a.k.a. pop culture) we will be on the right path for a better future.

Too Personally Insecure

This point deals with the scariest potential of terrorism, specifically, the terror of a nuclear enabled terrorist radical. While the United States, along with the rest of the world, has proven their ability live with large scale attacks such as 9/11 and the London train bombings, it would be inconceivable for any nation to deal with a nuclear bomb going off within a highly populated area. If this were to happen, the world would turn on a dime and its current state of flatness would be erased in a matter of hours. Friedman refers to Harvard international affairs expert Graham Allison’s proposal as a very effective solution for this problem. Specifically, this solution is stated as: The doctrine of the Three NOs: No Loose Nukes, No Nascent Nukes and No new Nuclear States.

Why?

We can see this doctrine already causing problems in our world today, a.k.a. Iran. If unstable countries with totalitarian governments are able to stay in power because of their oil wealth eventually gain the ability to develop nuclear weapons the world is in dire straits. The reason being, even if these countries don’t choose to use the nukes themselves there is still a large possibility of terrorist securing materials and knowledge needed through them (countries), because of their instability. For instance, if you were the leader of Iran and you saw the West as your enemy would you have a problem selling nukes to some one who would use them against the West? Nobody really knows and that is why the rule of Three NOs, while causing immediate controversy, must be maintained every at great cost.

Honestly, this doesn’t relate to education, except that we might do a better job of educating our youth about the facts of the world they are living in. Though in light of the recent U.A.E. ports deal fiasco I am beginning to wonder if we need to educate our entire nation on who we can and cannot trust.

References

Hunter. (2006, Feb 10). The OPEC of Vitamin C. Retrieved Mar 06, 2006, from http://www.eastasiawatch.com/2006/02/10/the-opec-of-vitamin-c/.