Globalization is taking place at a very rapid rate due to increased interactions among people from different geographical areas as a result of improved technologies, the internet, and expansion of major companies into global brands operating around the world. Since the process of globalization itself is irreversible, different regions, countries, organizations, and individuals have to respond to it through various strategies to catch up with the rest of the world. Latin America has taken several measures as a response to the globalization process. For instance, countries in the region have opened up to global brands and international companies, who have been allowed to enter the market and compete with local enterprises. Also, the countries in Latin America such as Brazil Mexico, and Argentina have increased the value of their international trade in recent years. Furthermore, the populations in these countries have become increasingly diverse as people from around the world come to settle in Latin America.
However, different scholars have different interpretations for these responses to globalization. According to Naomi Klein, the responses to globalization by the Latin American countries have been responsible for the poor state of the countries themselves. For example, she says that, for a country like Argentina, globalization has only made the country poor by killing local industries and eradicating employment opportunities resulting in widespread poverty. Besides, an attempt by the country to get loans from international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank are often met with restrictions such as demands for opening up the local market further for international companies or demands for political changes. These demands are, however, not given to wealthy and developed countries. Klein points out that these double standards by the IMF and the World Bank have been detrimental to the growth of Latin American countries.
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On the other hand, Raul Zibenchi considers globalization to have had a positive impact in the region due to factors such as increased mobility of people, access to information, and managing the relationships between the different factors of production such as labor and capital.
References
Naomi Klein, Reclaiming the Global Commons from Tom Mertes, A Movement of Movements, London: Verso, 2006, pp.219-229.
Raul Zibechi, & Subterranean Echoes: Political Resistance from Below, in Territories in Resistance: A Cartography of Latin American Social Movements, Oakland: AK Press, 2012, pp.61-89.
