ABSTRACT
Globalization is the primary thread that links the various aspects of South Asia considered here, including its history and current issues. Cultural globalization also includes the spread of ideas, such as ideas of justice and human rights that compel rural artists to paint about the rights of women or the poor. The globalization of the late twentieth century and the early twenty-first century is less about territorial control and more about economic and cultural control. Political globalization refers to the ways in which nation-states are formed and linked. Especially important are new forms of power relations, the relative insignificance of the boundaries of nation-states, and the growth of international regulatory agencies such as the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization. The International Monetary Fund promotes international monetary cooperation and exchange rate stability, facilitates the balanced growth of international trade, and provides resources to help members in balance of payments difficulties or to assist with poverty reduction.
