ABSTRACT
Globalization is the strongest economic and cultural force in the world today. This chapter traces the origins of contemporary globalization to the Bretton Woods Conference of 1944 and argues that there are four models of globalization in the post-World War II era: imperialism and the attempts to control economic resources such as oil; neoliberalism, which signifies efforts by trans-national corporations to obtain scarce resources and cheap labor pools worldwide; international development, which is the effort by institutions such as the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to develop an infrastructure for global capitalism among nations of the Global South; and globalization from below through civil society, labor, and other organizations that represent grassroots constituencies. A more complete view of globalization recognizes its complexity, diversity, and the limits of planetary resources. Given the complex nature of globalization in the contemporary world, this chapter seeks to provide an ethical framework for an alternative view based on the efforts of the United Nations and grassroots organizations to envision a process whereby a more sustainable world might be achieved. Human flourishing is a worthwhile goal, though it cannot be reached unless the flourishing of the earth is also secured by leaders of the family of nations.
