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Military Art and Science
GLOBALIZATION AND SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
Mihai‐Marcel NEAG * [email protected]
George BUCĂȚA** [email protected]
*“Nicolae Bălcescu” Land Forces Academy, Sibiu, Romania
**“Lucian Blaga” University, Sibiu, Romania
A BSTRACT
As a strict term, globalization means the myriad economic and
social transformations of mankind at present, on an extensive and
integrating scale and generated by the impact of transcontinental
monetary financial flows on the characteristics of social interactions.
Sustainable development is concei ved as a new development
path that sustains human progress for the entire planet and for a long
future. In this study we approach the interaction, compatibility and
simultaneity progress of four systems: economic, social, ecological
and technological.
KEYWORDS: gl obali zati on, sustainabl e devel opm ent
1. Introduction
Although the term “globalization” has
already become a cliché, the concept itself
is not new. Its origins are found in the
writings of scholars in the late 19th century
and early 20th century.
However, the term has gained only
academic acceptance in the late ’60s; today
the concept found its expression in all
languages of the world. It reflects a wide
perception of the fact that the world is
rapidly transforming into a shared social
space, under the influence of technological
and
economic
forces,
and
that
developments in any region of the world
can have profound consequences on the
individuals or communities on the other
side of the globe.
At the same time, many people
associate globalization with a sense of
political fatalism and chronic insecurity.
This is due to the contemporary social and
economic changes which seem to overcome
the possibility of the national governments
or citizens to control, to challenge or to
oppose the changes. But, globalization, the
same way as the development, is not
inevitable-even when it is supported by
powerful political and economic forces.
2. Globalization
Globalization does not have an
accurate definition. It is in danger of
becoming a cliché of the present times:
grand idea that includes absolutely
everything from financial markets to the
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internet, but that does not provide a
substantial perspective on the contemporary
human condition [1].
A commonly used definition of the
concept of globalization would be:
Globalization means the process whereby
geographical distance becomes a less and
less important factor in the establishment
and development of cross-border economic
political and sociocultural relations.
Networks of relationships and dependencies
acquire a growing potential to become
international and world-wide [2].
Initially globalization was seen as a
widening , deepening and accelerating of
the interconnection on a worldwide scale of
all aspects of contemporary social life, from
culture to criminality, from finance to the
spiritual sphere. Beyond the confirmation
of a real or perceived intensification of
global interconnectedness, there is a dispute
about how globalisation would be best
conceptualized, or how
its structural
consequences should be characterized, if
they exist.
In Table no. 1, three dominant trends
in the debate on globalization are presented
in
short.
Hyperglobalisers
consider
contemporary globalization as defining a
new age in which peoples everywhere are
increasingly subject to global market
sanctions. Skeptics argue that globalization
is essentially a myth that hides the reality of
international
economy
increasingly
segmented into three major blocks in which
national governments remain very strong.
In the case of transformationalists the
contemporary patterns of globalisation are
designed as having no historical precedent,
thus the states and societies all over the
world are going through a process of
profound change, as they try to adapt to an
increasingly interconnected world, but with
a high degree of uncertainty.
Table no. 1
Conceptualization of Globalization [3]
Hyperglobalists
 A global age
What’s new?
Dominant features
Power of national
governments
Driving forces
of globalization
Pattern of stratification
Dominant motif
Conceptualization
of globalization
 Global capitalism,
global governance,
global civil society
 Declining or eroding
 Capitalism and
technology
 Erosion of old
hierarchies
 McDonalds,
Madonna etc.
 As a recording of the
framework of human
action
 Global civilization
Historical trajectory
Summary-argument
 The end of the
nation-state
Sceptics
 Trading blocs,
weaker geogovernance
than in earlier periods
 World less
interdependent than in
1890s
 Reinforced or
enhanced
 States and markets
 Increas ed
marginalization of
South
 National interest
 As internalization
and regionalization
 Regional blocs /
clash of civilizations
 Internationalization
depends on state
acquiesence and support
Transformationalists
 Historically
unprecedented levels of
interconnectedness
 „Thick” (intensive
and extensive)
globalization
 Reconstituted,
restructured
 Combined forces of
modernity
 New architecture of
world order
 Transformation of
political community
 As the reordering of
interregional rel ations
and action at a distance
 Indeterminate: global
integration and
fragment ation
 Globalization
trans forming state
power and world
politics
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Military Art and Science
The majority of specialists associate
globalization with its implications of
political, economic and sociocultural
nature. It is seen as a process in its dynamic
perspective.
3. S ustainable Development and the
Effects of Globalization
Sustainable development is a dynamic
concept, with many dimensions and
interpretations, seen as a process of
permanent change, very connected to the
local context, needs and local priorities.
Currently there are more than
60 definitions and interpretations of the
concept of “sustainable development”. For
the first time this concept was used in 1987
by the Prime M inister of Norway, Gro
Harlem Brundtland. As President of the
World Commission on environment and
development, he presented the report Our
common future, in which sustainable
development was defined as “development
that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future
generations to satisfy their own needs” [4].
Sustainable development is conceived
as a new development path that sustains
human progress for the entire planet for a
long future. Within this approach the focus
is on the interaction of compatibility as well
as the simultaneity of progress of four
systems: economic, social, ecological and
technical.
Sustainable development presupposes
several things at once [5]:
– permanent and safe compatibility of
the environment created by man with the
natural environment;
– the interpretation of present in terms
of the future, by introducing the
environmental
security
instead
of
maximizing profits as the aim of
sustainable development;
– introduction of the compatibility of
the national strategies of development as a
result of growing interdependence in the
economic and environmental plan.
The conditions shall apply, taking
into account the specifics of each state.
Originally sustainable development
referred only to the economic aspect, but
later on, more and more factors began to be
taken into account. It was in September
2000 at the M illennium Summit of the
United Nations that the M illennium
Declaration was adopted setting the
M illennium Development Goals. At that
time the heads of state and government
have pledged to turn the right to
development for everyone into reality and
to work together to improve social and
economic conditions globally, mainly the
disadvantaged countries. The M illennium
Declaration is the only global development
agenda on which there is agreement at the
highest level between most countries of the
world.
The M illennium development goals
are eight in number and have precise targets
to be attained by 2015. The eight goals are:
1. Reducing of poverty and hunger.
2. Achieving universal access to
primary education.
3. Promoting gender equality and
empowering women.
4. Reducing child mortality.
5. Improving maternal health.
6. Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and
other diseases.
7. Ensuring environmental sustainability.
8. Creating global partnerships for
development [6].
In July 2012, the UN announced that
three important targets concerning poverty,
unsanitary housing and water have been
reached and that, for the first time since the
beginning of the poverty trends, the number
of people living in extreme poverty and
poverty rates were reduced in each
developing region.
In order for sustainable development
to be carried out and to take effect it is
necessary to redefine the objectives of
economic and social development in all
countries. This can be achieved by [7]:
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– stabilizing the demographic growth;
– resizing of economic growth and
technological restructuring, in order to
conservate the resources, limit the risks,
reduce dependence on oil, promote
renewable resources;
– changing the trends of production
and consumption;
– creating an suitable international
institutional and legislative framework that
takes into account the correlation of
development with the environment;
– substantial improvement of the
situation of the least developed countries in
relation to the strongly developed ones .
4. Conclusions
 The overall objective of sustainable
development is to find an optimal
interaction between systems: economic,
social, ecological and technical ones.
Optimal level corresponds to that longlasting development, which can be
supported by the four systems.
 Sustainable
development
presupposes several things simultaneously.
 In
order
for
sustainable
development to be carried out and to take
effect it is necessary to redefine the
objectives of economic and social
development in all countries.
 The course of globalization is
modified both by the force of ideas and
experiences, as well as global events.
 Globalization is not inevitable-even
when it is supported by powerful political
and economic forces.
REFERENCES
1. David Held, Anthony M cGrew, David Goldblatt and Jonathan Perraton,
Transformări globale. Politică, economie şi cultură, (Iaşi: Polirom, 2004), 25.
2. Ion Bari, Globalizare şi probleme globale, (Bucharest: Economică, 2001), 18.
3. David Held, Anthony M cGrew, David Goldblatt and Jonathan Perraton, cit.ed., 34.
4. http://www.un-documents.net/our-common-future.pdf, 41, (accessed January 25, 2015).
5. Ion Bari, Probleme globale contemporane , (Bucharest: Economică, 2001), 379.
6. http://www.un.org/en/events/pastevents/millennium_summit.shtml (accessed January
30, 2015).
7. Ion Bari, cit.ed., 379.
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