Chapter 29: Globalization and the Twenty-First-Century World
Research Topics
Toward the 21st Century
What will be the legacy of the 20th century to future generations?
Although the history of western civilizations has illustrated the many advances made in the arts, sciences, literature, philosophy and a hundred other things, as we stand at the beginning of the 21st century, it is clear that we also face problems of an almost insurmountable nature -- global warming, ethnic cleansing, racism, war and terrorism.
The twin processes of decolonization and globalization have perhaps resulted in a world guided by a double-edged sword, and with much good necessarily comes much bad. Our task is to understand the world, grasping at once the manifold diversity of the world while at the same time maintaining our sense of identity, as well as our sense of history.
What will be the legacy of the 20th century to future generations?
Although the history of western civilizations has illustrated the many advances made in the arts, sciences, literature, philosophy and a hundred other things, as we stand at the beginning of the 21st century, it is clear that we also face problems of an almost insurmountable nature -- global warming, ethnic cleansing, racism, war and terrorism.
The twin processes of decolonization and globalization have perhaps resulted in a world guided by a double-edged sword, and with much good necessarily comes much bad. Our task is to understand the world, grasping at once the manifold diversity of the world while at the same time maintaining our sense of identity, as well as our sense of history.
- The Mandela Document, Presented by Nelson Mandela to P. W. Botha before their meeting on July 5, 1989
Nelson Mandela's guidelines formulated by the ANC for a negotiated end to apartheid in South Africa. - The Constitution of the Russian Federation (1993)
The Russian constitution, ratified December 12, 1993, replaced the Soviet-era constitution of 1978, and marked the beginning of a new period in Russian history. - Steven Erlanger, "The Dayton Accords: A Status Report" (June 10, 1996)
The Dayton Accords was the agreement reached at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio in November 1995, and put an end to almost four years of war in Bosnia. - President George W. Bush: "History's Unmarked Grave of Discarded Lies" Speech to Joint Session of Congress (September 21, 2001)
President George W. Bush's speech to a joint session of Congress came in response to the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. - Arundhati Roy, "The New American Century," The Nation, 22 January 2004
An overtly critical response to globalization in general, and the United States involvement in world affairs in particular.
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