Global Perspective

Community:

The 21st century has made us acutely aware of interconnectedness of communities around the globe. Human societies are becoming a close-knit web of political, social, economic systems. The impact of globalization is enormous across global societies. Globalization has affected key areas of the society.

Education:

Education is often considered as panacea for combating poverty and disease and promoting democracy and civil society. However, Educational systems are under stress due to the demand for greater access, relevant and quality education. The powerful forces that are affecting change in education are technology, job market, and foremost are changes in social and political cultures. In a number of societies around the world, educational systems are unable to respond to economic, political, or technological change due to lack of infra structure, and resources to invest in education sector for reform, training of faculty and upgrading of facilities. However, those who are fortunate enough to receive quality education and are adequately prepared to face the world outside school boundaries, they will have job opportunities and entrepreneurial opportunities in their immediate communities and around the world. Hence, today’s students need quality formal education and probably equally important is development of social and cultural competencies.

Economy:

Those who have advance education and economic resources are able to benefit from the opportunities. However, individuals and communities with traditional economy base or without economic resources, whether they are in developing or developed societies, have been negatively affected by the economic change. Automation, rapid technological advancement and change, and outsourcing have affected people in economically developed societies. People in economically depressed communities and regions are losing their current economic bases and resources due to environmental change, lack of education or quality education, and lack of ability to compete in a global economy. Often individuals and communities are sidelined or left behind because they are not prepared for change. Critical issues for developing societies are persistence of poverty, disease and illiteracy.

Cultural Transformations:

World cultures have become critical areas of contention. Culture once considered as providing individual and community identity, has been recognized a bastion of power and channel through which economic and political power is obtained and exercised. In the global arena where political and economic wars are ravaging, a silent and obscure battle for cultural survival is taking place. The western civilizations are manufacturing and disseminating cultural products with enormous production facilities and resources, in comparison, small communities and countries are unable to stop and even understand the nature and consequences of cultural invasion. Most developing society and communities, desolated by economic hardship and political instability, are vulnerable to political and cultural proselytization. The result of this process of proselytization of cultures and knowledge is that the West has exclusive power of legitimizing and disseminating knowledge and developing societies in particular are outside and disenfranchised in the global cultural struggle.

Peace, Democracy and Civil Society

Peace is the key to the survival of humanity. In the 21st Century, human societies have developed ingenious intellectual resources to resolve complex organizational problems. However, they are still struggling to resolve inner conflicts that are generated by hate, prejudice and ignorance. In case of war, most vulnerable communities become victim and most often, their meager economic and social/ cultural resources are destroyed. Hence, war and violence result in loss of human life and creates a cycle of misfortune and misery that may take decades to rebuild and sometimes scares are never fully healed.
Hence, key to peace and security in the world is establishment of civil society and democratic institutions.