GLOBALIZATION IN RUSSIA

Globalization in Russia



Globalization in Russia

Introduction

Globalisation has certain identifiable characteristics, although there is no consensus in the field about any of them! In the first place, it involves a growing consciousness of the world as a single place. This is reflected in phrases such as 'the global village' and 'the global economy'. Few places are more than a day's travel away and communication across territorial borders is now almost instantaneous. In 1980 there were about 1 million international travellers per day. In 2000 more than 3 million people crossed territorial borders as tourists each day. This paper will attempt to shed light on globalization with Russia as the frame of reference. In this regard, the following paragraphs will explore a wide range of globalization related issues with regard to Russia.

The new information and communications technology have improved access to overseas markets and streamlined both the production and distribution of goods and the trade in foreign exchange. Third, human beings are becoming more and more dependent upon one another as problems such as global warming, the international drugs trade, and terrorism can only be managed through greater cooperation at a supranational level. Fourth, some observers argue that globalisation is erasing cultural differences.

Finally, some observers claim that the sovereign state's capacity for independent political action is weakened by globalisation. This is especially true in the area of economic policy. The idea of a domestic economy hemmed in by well-defined borders and managed by the state is now obsolete. Today, domestic economic policy is subject to global market forces. The state has little effective influence or control over these forces. In short, globalisation involves a radical transformation of existing economic and political structures in international relations (Blumm 2008, 284). It involves an aspiration to think and act globally and an acknowledgement that humanity cannot effectively be ordered along geographical lines. To talk about globalisation, then, is not only to embark on a description of the present, but involves a comprehension of the forces shaping the future. In this sense it is a multifaceted, complex, and dynamic concept.

Discussion

The territory of the Russian Federation stretches across eleven time zones, from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, and from the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea. Russia's population of some 150 million consists of a majority of Russians and includes substantial numbers of other ethnic groups, such as Bashkirs, Chechens, Jews, Ossetians, Tatars, ...