End Of History? Not Quite

A visitor to Moscow would be immediately struck by the fact that an otherwise dull Kremlin now seduces one to break the sound barrier in a mike, rediscover one self on a Compaq or simply feel Warner in a Pringles. If this is not enough then there is always Chairman Mao in Tiananmen Square calling upon workers and peasants to not only carry forward the revolution but also gulp down a Sprite, while they are at it. Numerous more examples abound from the Adriatic, so what does it all signify? Is it truly the end of History? Do we now see a time when a matter of ideology is drinking a Coke or a Pepsi? Closer introspection would reveal that it is not quite so.

Let us begin by noting that the world has not got rid of or minimized the areas of conflict. From the more recent Israeli- Palestinian clashes, to the problems in Chechnya, Kashmir, Sri Lanka, parts of Africa etc. The war on Terror has brought Afghanistan and Iraq into global focus. Tensions persist on one form or another and have the potential to assume more enormous dimensions at any time. Closely related to this point is the fact that there are vast areas of the globe that were, in a sense left behind in time: parts of the middle-east, chunks of Africa and Latin America and especially Afghanistan are regions where modernity as we know it has failed to penetrate let alone reach a critical mess to iron out medieval tensions and propel the inhabitants towards growth and self realization. Such geographical pockets are breeding grounds of what may seem outdated, yet in fact extremely potent ideologies and movements. These regions are not merely trouble spots of the world meant to be fumigated at will by the forces of modernity in their multi-billion dollar corporate avatars but are in fact pointers towards more serious matters. Namely how does one reconcile the difference between the majority of the human population that is battered by pressures of war, disease, hunger, natural calamities, apathetic rulers, poverty and ignorance everyday, and those who suggest that the panacea of all evils is to watch more movies, guzzle more beers drink more colas, and Just Do It?

Tied to the above factors is the fact that all over the world maybe in the countries themselves, the so-called engines of globalization seem to be acquiring local hues and colours as they clank. Be it the fact that fast food giants serving local cuisines, global television channels beaming programmes in regional languages or giant corporations trying to be more uniform global system, driven by the forces of profit and loss seems to be weakening.

If Bill Gates came to Hyderabad to sell his Windows XP, an Indian has moved to Redmond to design it for him. As a result America is browning and in a decade from now, the white man would be a minority on his island. Immigrants are no longer poor Italians, Irish and Jews sailing to their land of opportunity in claustrophobic ships but are in fact an important constituent of the demographic profile of every western country. Over the years these Patils and Changs have emerged as significant pressure groups in the government of their new homeland, and it is only with a passage of time that we will realize the full impact of these movements of migrants on the history of mankind.

Equally significant has been the revolution in the fields of science and technology. We are today witness to a rapid advancement in communication, especially information technology and networking. The world is increasingly shrinking to become one global village. One development in one part of the world soon affects the life of people in other parts of the world. Say for instance, oil production. If Saudi Arabia or any of the major OPEC nations decide to cut production, even if it is a marginal cut, oil prices shoot up and political climate can change. A country's might and political clout now depends not just on sheer military power but also on the scientific potential. The case of India is ample proof of this and how different countries are analyzing its strategic importance in the 21st century. But here too there is a need to wait and watch as to how these developments affect history and its march forward.

Lastly, the world is seeing new ideologies and movements which cannot be simple bracketed as 'right' or 'left', 'privatization' or 'nationalization' and so on and so forth. Whether it is farmers in France preventing the development of genetically modified seeds, truckers in Britain blocking highways to protest against high fuel prices, Germans screaming 'Inder Statt Kender', Indians debating the merits of secularism or Americans calling for a ban on abortions and greater acceptance of gay rights, it all shows that each day new issues will present themselves before people and governments. These issues will remain just as pressing and significant even if they will not essentially involve tanks breaching iron fences or iron curtains.

To conclude briefly, all over the world, it seems newer forces are emerging and are yet to make their full impact. Therefore, far from it beginning the 'End of History', we have just managed to plough through the first few chapters and many more await us.

About The Author

NAME: MITHUN BHATTACHARYA
ADDRESS:
A/3,Institute of Economic Growth,
Delhi University Enclave,
Delhi- 110007
INDIA
TELEPHONE: +91-11-27667598, 27667665
EMAIL: bsmb@vsnl.com; bhattacharya_mit@hotmail.com
DATE OF BIRTH: 16th of January 1980

---

Is This All There Is?

In today's Rants from Lance session I address the question... Read More

Political Branding and Marketing

Political strategists, branding gurus and image consultants could learn a... Read More

Howard Deans Big Fat Mouth

"The only time I open my mouth is when I... Read More

Environmental Economics, Stream of Thought

Entrepreneurs can clean up the environment if we would let... Read More

Debt Relief and Reality Check

The United States and other first world nations have been... Read More

The U.S. Department of Justice vs. the Realty Industry, and Its Effect on Consumers

From the National Association of Realtors' Virtual Office Website policy,... Read More

Dole, Kemp, Trusting People

Many in the peanut gallery of society are so quick... Read More

The Mother of All Political Battles Has Begun!

News is spreading of the retirement of Supreme Court Justice... Read More

How to Become a Whistle Blower

Since the United States Government is promoting the whistle blower... Read More

John Kerry as a Prosecutor?

Prosecutors with political ambitions are known to modify the truth... Read More

Gas Prices and the Impact of Inflation

Year Item Price Rate of Inflation 03/80 Gasoline (per gallon)... Read More

Responding to Article: Logic Class 101 Applied to the Minuteman Project

In response to Douglas Bower's article; Logic Class 101 Applied... Read More

The Glorious Acts of Our Legislature

I always have to remember to take a deep breath... Read More

On The Privatization of Social Security

Reform Social Security has been talked of Capital Hill for... Read More

A Component of Liberty is a Strong Social Contract with Governing Body

Recently I got to talking with a gentleman at a... Read More

Bringing Back Mining Jobs to the United States

With new environmental technologies and modern efficiency methods in mining... Read More

US Government Owes Martha Stewart 1 Billion Dollars

The prosecutors in the Martha Stewart Case used testimony from... Read More

Monitoring Macedonia

Close to 500,000 people - one in four - live... Read More

Poverty in America: Over 35 Million Living Below the Poverty Line

The problem of poverty in America comes as a surprise.... Read More

Will They Sterilize Vagabonds and Drunkards in Belarus?

In Belarus parliament is going to struggle with degeneration of... Read More

Wartime Prisoners and the Will to Fight; War is Hell, Let?s Win Alright?

We learned some lessons in these last few wars. For... Read More

Regulatory Hooey Protects Us From Our Own Health

Legislation is getting legs to further curtail your use of... Read More

Common Sense vs. Common Senseless - How Thomas Paine Can Be Applied To Modern Day; Part Two

The cause of America is in a great measure the... Read More

Oil Prices Effect The United States Competitiveness

Just because we have been leading the World in innovation... Read More

Public Schools Are Un-American

Compulsory-attendance laws force parents to send their children to public... Read More

Enlightenment Experiments

Pierre Dupont de Nemours:After arranging the Armistice that ended or... Read More

A Workable Alternative to Term Limits

The end of another election once again brings into focus... Read More

Thune Republicans: Sudden Friends of the Working Person?

The Right's defense of John Thune in the Dan Nelson/MetaBank... Read More

Bodyguard Training in Mexico; My Experiences While Providing BG Training in Mexico

Mexico the country of Salsa, Tortillas and Corruption; I first... Read More

Why the United States just doesnt get the United Nations

For years I have been amazed as I've listened to... Read More

Boston Bankers

Many people make a lot of money in war. In... Read More

Rule of Thumb For Exporting Technology

Rule of Thumb for exporting technology. The American People need... Read More

The United States Government Owes Arthur Anderson 16 Billion Dollars

Since the court case was over turned against Arthur Anderson... Read More