Globalization in the Arab world refers to the westernization of the Arab culture in reference to their customs, institutions, ideas, and attitudes. Although globalization has had different impacts in different regions, however, in the Middle East, globalization is characterized with constant insecurity, endless wars, and increased economic dependency. Thus, rather than creating opportunities in the Middle East, globalization has created threats. Globalization has played a key role in enabling the western countries to become superpowers at the expense of the Middle East region, hence resulting to the anti-globalization struggles that are very violent. The violent anti-globalization reactions by the Middle East economies have played a key role in the rise of the Islamic Fundamentalism. Globalization of the Arab world is perceived to have created many obstacles against democratization. This essay focuses on the globalization in the Middle East as illustrated by Mark LeVine in the book Why They Don't Hate Us: Lifting the Veil on the Axis of Evil. Further, the impact of discovery of heavy metal and hip hop music and their political influence on globalization are evaluated.
Contrary to the expectations of many, the process of globalization has resulted to creation of fresh hostilities, conflicts, and exclusions in the globe. Opposition groups and individuals employ communication and media network in efforts to participate in the global political arena and cultural issues. Rather than creation of stable peaceful global economy, it has resulted to instability and unrest with the victims being the Islamic movement who oppose economic liberalization. LeVine critiques the theory clash if civilization as he tries to evaluate the Middle East transnational terrorism and the western response as bid story founded on conflicts and conquest. Levine concludes how global peace can be attained and ends the globalization of the Muslims from the global political sphere. LeVine argues that terrorism conducted by Jihadist is a drop in the ocean of the bigger neoliberal globalization. LeVine frequently refers borrows the idea of “cultural jamming” a concept borrowed from the western hip-hop music production. Hip-hop Music is a product of diversity in the US. LeVine is able to display the manner in which history has resulted to creation of conflicts by bringing together dissonant and diverse voices to compose global musical brand name. This is noted where LeVine notes the differences in the diverse cultural background can “bring together diverse and even dissonant voices to compose a truly world music”.
The concept of economic neoliberals began in 1970s and was initiated by the US government in efforts to enable economic growth across the globe, however, a close assessment of the idea I reveals that it was beneficial to the western sphere at the expense of the global south that included Latin America, Middle East, and Africa. Globalization seemed to target and threatens the Middle East region which is dominated by the Muslim Culture. This is because Middle East viewed that the concept of globalization was an extension of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries’ imperialism policies. Thus some citizens middle east felt the globalization was targeting their resources, and was a process that aimed to continue the past injustices whereby their resources, the heavy metals, were co-opted by foreigners. Thus most residents of Middle East recall the era of imperialism with oppression and exploitation, and were ready to fight against global economic liberalization. That threatened their rich Islamic cultural heritage which they could lose to the west western culture. Most western residents do not know that part of history whereby the Middle East citizens were protecting their cultural background was threatened by imperialists who replaced their languages and practices with those from the west.
Another facto worth considering is the fact that globalization does not only entail economic liberalization, but it is a cultural process. Culture is a driver for economic globalization because it defines people, their sense of belonging and thus defines what these people consume. This is evident where LeVine puts it across that “the more people define themselves and their sense of self-worth through what they buy and the easier it is for corporations and the international financial systems they work through to gain power over them”. Thus, the Middle East resident viewed that adaption of the western culture at the expense of their Islamic culture would result to corporations investing in products from west, thus the west could eventually control them through the international financial systems.
The anti-globalization Muslims view Islam as a political system that should not be eroded the western culture that is threatening their traditions as defined by the Islamic teaching. Through market research, politicians and global firms can be able to evaluate the demands of the people, however, the anti-globalization movements turn these ideas powerless because they feat dominance by the west. Thus the LeVine develops the concept of ghetto terrorism that is founded by anti-globalizations and anti-democratic political dominance, and can engage in any activity, especially terrorism activities in efforts to protect their cultural settings from encroachment by the west. The members of the ghetto Muslim include the jihadist organizations that include the Al Qaeda and Al shabaab, among others.
Levine points out that, as anti-war movements and anti-globalization Muslim complain about invasion of their culture by the Western culture, the major threat to the Middle East culture is the existence of the financially stable Wahhabi Muslim Movement that is ultra conservative. That indicates that the there exists an internal problem among the Muslims that has existed for more than 20 years and its actions do not conform to those of the tolerant Muslims. This group causes internal threat to the Islam in the Middle East more than the threat posed by the western culture. It is the Wahhabi Movement section of the Muslim faith that is and advocate for terrorism reactions against the western culture.
The issue of globalization in the Middle East has been made complex by the existence of the radical Muslims who have a concept that everything from the west is evil. This has resulted to unrest in the Middle East. Rather than creating an opportunities, the Muslims in the have become victims of globalization. The political arena has done much to establish a ceasefire between the west and Middle East because there is existence of a strong Jihad movement that cannot be controlled by the Middle East’s governments. As much as the Muslims intend to protect their culture, diversity has its own merits; the investment by the West through mining firms can create economic stability in Middle East and ensure global peace is achieved.
Bibliography
Alamdari, Kazem, “Terrorism cuts across the East and the West: deconstructing Lewis's Orientalism” Third World Quarterly, 24, No. 1 (2003): 177–186
Kellner, Douglas. "Globalization, Terrorism and Democracy: 9/11 and its Aftermath", in: Confronting Globalization: Humanity, Justice and the Renewal of Politics. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 2005.
LeVine, Mark. Why they don't hate us: lifting the veil on the axis of evil. Oxford: Oneworld, 2005.
