Talk about Globalization by Nayan Chandra for World Affairs Council

Talk about Globalization by Nayan Chandra

Nian Chandra was born in India, educated in France. Went to Yale in 2001 to direct Center for the Study of Globalization

We all share portions of the same DNA that originated in a village in Africa.

Jewish outsourcing of metal working to India was done in the 10th century.

Missionaries have done this job in the 17th century to spread the idea that humans have rights, was very novel in the 17th century.

The preachers now have other means to preach, and they have other things to preach about: Greenpeace. They are waiting to spread their message to the world, and connect with the world.

Adventurers like Marco Polo have been replaced by millions of tourists carrying ideas to foreign lands.

The Pentagan has hired 25,000 foreign nationals to fight in Iraq.

These things are impacting many countries. Iraq war was the first way simultaneously protested in 80 countries, this is changing the world.

Where are we headed, what does it mean?

• The desire here, the wish, the ambition, behind people continuously connecting is unchanged. But there have been many times in the past when trading, migration, have stopped, but it has never been something that has stopped forever. Globalization as a process can not be stopped, but it will go through a lot of turmil and obstacles and may have major disasters. It is not something that can be stopped by anyone because no one is in charge, but it can be done in a more harm

Questions

In the poorest slums, people are watching TV to see how people in other places are living. This is the information they get from television, and this gives them the ambition to get those things. In the present globalization, the losers are in full view and they can see how the winners live.

Q: Can your studies of globalization help us to see the outcome of the huge trade imbalance between China and U.S.

I don't deal with that directory, but I can only think this is a situationt that will pass. The American industry started by stealing technology from the British. Eventually the American textile industry overshadowed the British industry, but as prices for real estate increased, it started moving towards cheaper labor. U.S. domination disappeared in the 1960s. But the US became the dominant partner in technology. Technology is now the main winner in the economy.

It is difficult to predict how it will happen, but the U.S. ability to adapt to new situations will get workers out of the position of feeling like they are losers to globalization.

Q: Your book includes information about the origin of many words, like "Dollar". Did you make a conscious effort to include this kind of information in the book?

This was a discovery for me. This book has been a continuous discovery for me, I kept coming up with facts I was unaware of. Globalization is in your pocket. The word "dollar" comes from the story of a silver mine in Bavaria. This mine produced the purest silver, the 17th century coins was the currency in Europe. It came known as "teller" and in southern german dialect it was "dollar". The spanish used "peso". American founding fathers didn't want to use "pound" with colonial reminder, so they chose "dollar". the dollar bill has 75% cotton, and cotton is an arabic word.

The world we live in is so interconnected. The environment has no borders. The Chinese factories need enormous electricity, and every week a new coal fired plant is needed to power these factors. The goods go to walmart and everyone is happy. But it also produces pollution, which is flying across the jet stream, and landing in California. That is the price one has to pay for cheap goods. one has to think of the connections that exist today because of the threats to the environment that exist.

Program information

Program "Welcome to Your World", by the World Affairs Council. itsyourworld.org, in San Francisco.

Speech by Nayan Chandra, author of "Inbound Together", how globalization was shaped.

Mis-spellings:

• Nian Chandra