Globalization / Anti-Globalization

The second edition of this highly successful book tests the claims of those who dismiss the continuing significance of globalization through a comprehensive assessment of contemporary global trends. In the aftermath of 9/11, and the war in Iraq, there has been much talk of the end of globalization. Held and McGrew argue that these post-mortems for globalization are entirely premature. They show this by focusing upon the primary structures of world order namely: patterns of governance, organized violence, the economy, culture and environmental degradation. Patterns of inequality, exclusion and domination are also assessed.

Building upon this analysis, the authors present the case for continuing to take globalization seriously as both a description and explanation of our current global condition. They also ask the vital question: can globalization be tamed? Held and McGrew explore whether a more just and stable world order is either desirable or feasible and present an alternative ethical and political agenda for the twenty-first century - a global covenant of cosmopolitan social democracy.

The second edition of this powerful and original book has been comprehensively updated, with three new chapters added. The book will appeal to all those who remain intrigued, confused or simply baffled by the controversy about globalization and its consequences for the twenty-first century world order.

This short book provides a key to understanding one of the most important intellectual and political debates of our times. The authors interrogate the evidence about globalization and assess global trends. Issues of governance, culture, the economy, patterns of inequality and global ethics are discussed in relation to the contending claims and counterclaims of the principal positions in the globalization debate: the globalizers and anti-globalizers. Held and McGrew reflect on the central questions of political life posed by the great globalization debate, namely: who rules, in whose interests, to what ends, and by what means? They conclude by proposing a new political agenda for the twenty-first century – a global covenant of cosmopolitan social democracy.

This book is an excellent guide for all those intrigued, confused or simply baffled by globalization and its impact.

• List of Figures and Tables

• Acknowledgements

• Introduction

• 1 The Demise of Globalization? : Current Controversies

• Part One – The Globalization Controversy

• 2 The Recon?guration of Political Power?

• 3 The Fate of National Culture

• 4 Global Insecurities: Military Threats and Environmental Catastrophe

• 5 A New World Economic Order ? : Global Markets and State Power

• 6 The Great Divergence? Global Inequality and Development

• 7 (Mis)Managing the World?

• Part Two – Remaking Globalization

• 8 Beyond Globalization / Antiglobalization

• 9 World Orders, Ethical Foundations

• 10 The Contentious Politics of Globalization: Mapping Ideals

• and Theories

• 11 Reconstructing World Order: Towards Cosmopolitan

• Social Democracy

• 12 Testing Cosmopolitan Social Democracy; the challenge of 9/11 and global economic governance

• References

• Index