Sustainable Globalization?

In a historical sense, globalization is nothing new. What is relatively new, is the much more penetrating form of globalization today, characterized by free-market capitalism, international investment, and nearly instant exchange of information via television and the internet; we can be anywhere around the world within a day. Globalization has hundreds, if not thousands, of implications for unique cultures all across the world. Many times, the implications may generally be understood as good, such as the sharing of technological advancements, dramatic economic improvement, or international movements for human rights. Other times, globalization's implications are generally considered bad, like when cultural tradition is drastically threatened or degraded. I picture Islamic fundamentalists with rocket launchers and McDonald's in Tibet.

It would be difficult to argue that the world economy on the whole has suffered as a result of this globalization; on the contrary, international trade has increased, and nations that had previously been economically quiet are now waking giants. South Asia is probably the most recognized example of this with countries like South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia manufacturing a huge portion of the world's goods. These countries' Gross National Products have certainly increased, but have living conditions for the majority of the populations?

What we are discovering is that millions of rural people move to manufacturing centers in these nations. The throngs of workers live in subhuman conditions and flood the pool of available workers, thus perpetuating low wages, and poor working conditions, not to mention destroying the effectiveness of unionization. In the most extreme cases, we are approaching something like corporate feudalism. What we are seeing is an actual increase in the separation between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have-nots, the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern. Many developing nations have been able to find a niche, a specialization within the global market that brings them international income. However, many have not. In addition, the flight of manufacturing centers from domestic soil to countries with lower wages and regulations leaves the cities that the companies left with no jobs, like in Flint, Michigan, where living conditions begin to mirror those developing nations that the vehicle manufacturing plants left for.

Globalization's implications for the world's poor are both promising and worthy of concern. The Garifuna are a group of Afro-Caribbean people that inhabit the Caribbean coast of Central America, from Belize to Nicaragua. Their way of life still relies heavily on fishing and subsistence farming, yet tourism and globalization is descending upon them whether they are ready or not. My undergraduate research on the complexities of tourism development in Honduras brought me into regular contact with Garifuna communities. Globalization promises them improvements in the realms of economy, health, and sanitation.

However, several older generation Garifuna people I talked to expressed concern over the trend in Garifuna youth to be more materialistic, desiring commodities represented in media images from the US. Most of the English spoken by the Garifuna teens that I interacted with were song lyrics. They expressed incredible fascination with American culture. Many “thug” mannerisms depicted in American pop-culture were portrayed by these young Garifuna.

One of my key informants was called “Homie” and his choice of an American pop-cultural "street name" was not unique; most of his friends used similar names. (Image courtesy of Jessica Dunlap, 2006)

What the Garifuna elders consider to be a threat to the perpetuation of their culture, is also a threat to their environment. With few jobs to be had, the kind of money required to buy the things that we so often take for granted does not come easily for most Garifuna. As a result, there is much support for environmentally destructive large-scale tourism projects and foreign-owned factories (Maquilas), whether these are sustainable or not, for these endeavors promise the most jobs. Tax-free zones, minimal environmental regulations and nearly non-existent labor laws are only some of the incentives promised to international investors by developing nations.

What it boils down to is that the poorest people of the world see western ideals of affluence, individualism, and materialism without having the means to achieve the objects of these ideals. In other words, the images precede the societal and economic changes. This seems to lead to development focused on immediate income rather than sustainable or responsible economies.

In a speech given to the U.S. Congress on February 21, 1990, Vaclav Havel (then the president of Czechoslovakia) said: “Interests of all kinds: personal, selfish, state, national, group and, if you like, company interests still considerably outweigh genuinely common and global interests. We are still under the sway of the destructive and vain belief that man is the pinnacle of creation, and not just part of it, and therefore everything is permitted… In other words, we still don‟t know how to put morality ahead of politics, science and economics.”

I believe globalization, in its present form, is a result, a side effect, of the actions taken by economically driven powers seeking their own financial success. We are seeing that Laissez-Faire capitalism is not the all-equalizing force it has been touted as. That said, the ball is rolling, and as much damage as it may cause, it will not be stopped. Therefore, we should not focus on ending globalization, for that decision is not ours to make, too many have seen its fruits. Instead we must change globalization from being a side effect, to an intentional process guided by the principles of fairness and justice. We may not be able to solve all of the world‟s problems, but we can, and should, begin to assess our own contributions to these problems and correct our actions wherever possible.

Havel, Vaclav 1990 “Address to Congress” in Grace Cambell, Michael Gillum, Dorothy Sulock and Mark West (Editors) 2002 The Asheville Reader: The Individual in the Contemporary World Acton, Mass. : Copley Custom Publishing Group

Honduran Earthquake, then Coup; What Now?

So, if you haven't heard (because it has been all but missing from the news), Honduras experienced both an earthquake and a Coup on Sunday. A few hours from the U.S. by plane, and little notice. Well, it is the second poorest nation in the western hemisphere...

Apparently six were killed in the earthquake, which struck just north of Roatan in the Bay Islands - a gorgeous, relatively unknown string of coral and hilly islands in the Caribbean Sea.

I started this blog, partly, to try to generate greater understanding of Honduras (and interest in responsible tourism there). For over 100 years, Hondurans have been subject to the whims and wants of the elites (whether by U.S. - backed dictators, U.S. international fruit companies - United and Standard Fruit - or at the hands of the IMF, World Bank, and USAID). Now they are continually seen as only a source of cheap labor for many of our favorite brands here in America. Even today, you can go through the countryside and see many plantations of banana or coconut sitting idle and succumbing to disease while the local people can't even manage or eat from the plantations. The following photo was shot en route to the Cuero Y Salado National Wildlife Refuge.These coconut palms (owned by United Fruit, now Chiquita) are on land right next to a local village (who used to work the plantation). The company closed this plantation, yet if anyone is caught taking any coconuts, they will be arrested and fined an amount that they may not even make in a year. Oh, and coconuts are the primary source of nutrition for Caribbean Hondurans.

Fortunately, the Honduran Government only reports 6 deaths from the magnitude 7.1 quake, and no deaths from the Coup... though protests, both in support of, and opposition to, the ousted president Manuel Zelaya have been rampant. Apparently, the Honduran Constitution only allows for one 4-year term per president. Zelaya sought to change that, starting with an unofficial referendum that was scheduled for Sunday... the referendum never happenned because of the coup. Zelaya scheduled the referendum despite the supreme court declaring it illegal.

Zelaya's relationship with Hugo Chavez, as well as his programs to help the poor, has tainted his reputation with conservative politicians and business elites, even though he rose to power with the support of the country's more conservative elements. He is now labled as a socialist; but if you go to Honduras, you will see that the majority of citizens are simply fending for themselves.

For the past few decades, Honduras has seen a relatively stable democracy, contributing to a growing tourism industry. It has been known as the next eco-tourism hotspot, following Costa Rica's example. This will undoubtedly be a major setback. It is my assertion that conservative leadership will still pursue tourism, but not in a responsible manner. The Honduras Institute of Tourism, in conjunction with the federal government, has seen to it that communally held lands of the Garifuna people are systematically stripped from them to build massive Sun and Sand resort complexes (e.g. Los Micos Beach and Golf Resort); threatening the delicate ecosystems, that provide subsistence for the people, with golf courses that will use most available fresh water and dump fertilizer and pesticide into their fishing grounds. Fortunately, there have been interested parties (like Tropical Classroom Expeditions and workers in the national park system) that are working to put the power of tourism in the hands of local people. I will have more on this in posts to come.

I will be honest, this is a pitch. Not for any particular company or service, but for Honduras in general. It amazes me that bloggers aren't really talking about this (correct me if I am wrong). I mean the whole region hasn't seen a coup or war in decades; this is a big deal. I just hope it doesn't get bigger. This is a beautiful country with some of the region's most colorful people and a rich history of thousands of years. From the Art and Language capital of the Mayan culture (the ruins of Copán), to the ongoing existence of a unique culture of escaped slaves (The Garifuna), Honduras has alot more to offer than poverty and strife. But the real question remains... what can we offer Honduras?

What you can offer personally, is to learn about it. To talk about it. To not ignore it. To spend your travel dollars somewhere that it will make a positive local difference. Just a small portion of revenues actually stay in-country at most internationally-owned hotels and resorts (this is called "leakage"). Whereas, when you stay at a locally-owned hotel, you can be assured that the money you spend will stay in the community and contribute to the health and prosperity of the locals.

We always say NIMBY (Not in My BackYard), right? Well, Honduras IS our backyard!

I welcome your comments or questions; thanks for reading.