ABSTRACT
As President George W. Bush's remarks indicate, the vast majority of US policy makers and US citizens believe that globalization and the worldwide information revolution promote greater understanding and tolerance of people's differences, thus contributing to peaceful relations, democratization, and protection of everyone's civic security. In this chapter the authors unpack a set of interrelated challenges to each human being's most basic civic security concerns, conceptualized as protection of one's physical safety and integrity, and equally respect for one's personal identity and dignity. Globalization may empower governments when it assists their development efforts and strengthens their abilities to institutionalize democratic government and to rule humanely and justly—often aided by other governments, international organizations, and activist groups. As this chapter has underscored, the fundamental attachment that we all have to our traditions and cultural identity must be grasped in order to comprehend why globalization can provoke a serious backlash and enhance the possibilities for conflict, terrorism, and human rights abuses.
