Globalization and Regionalism: Liberal
Stocktaking of Chances and Risks
(December
04- 18, 2005)
By Brian V. Gonzales
 |
|
Brian V. Gonzales |
The orientation of Globalization and the emergence of its complexities
and opportunities are not very new to me. I have attended a couple
of globalization-related confabs before, though I must say, I
am still not a specialist. This time, I got to know the “liberal”
perspective of Globalization.
I saw myself traveling back to Germany last Dec 2005 to attend
the Globalization seminar at the International Academy for Leadership
in Gummersbach with the kind invitation of the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation.
I arrived in Cologne a day early for the seminar from a short
sojourn in Rome, where I attended a dialogue of Asian and European
democrats, which is of equal interest to me. In Cologne I met
up with my new colleagues from Peru, China and Israel who also
had to take an early flight due to fully booked flights from their
domicile to Germany.
The programme was well developed by Dr. Walter Hartmann (Germany),
a mainstay facilitator at the IAF. It included lectures, debate,
a lot of group work, some research and field visits.
Working Group Sessions
The group works included various facilitation techniques that
made us work together to analyze the local challenges and opportunities
of globalization in our respective countries and how if affect
the global environment. Most of the time, participants in the
working group sessions were divided through regional set-ups,
Asian, South America, Europe and Africa. I find the groupings
through regional set-ups effective in gathering more tangible
proposals, direct, and pragmatic ideas in the tasks provided by
the facilitators. Not only did it encourage more participation,
the proximity of the countries in a regional working group made
it easier in organizing an output report. I was joined by my good
colleagues from China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Burma, Tibet and Pakistan.
The Asian group was also divided into two Asian regional working
group, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and
the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
The best part for me in the group work sessions was the development
of a liberal plan for a least developed country. We took the case
of Cambodia. Our grouped developed a well planned programme of
action for the government. We simulated a government policy planning
board and organized the liberal government with a fully functioning
structure and economic structure. We did get a very good review
from the group and the facilitators of the well-developed programme
for Cambodia.
Lectures on Globalization
Everyone through the facilitation technique was given an opportunity
to share and explore the multifaceted character of globalization.
A well balanced programme included a special lecture from a Berlin-based
anti-globalization campaign group, ATTAC. This was followed by
a very interesting lecture by FNF consultant Dr Stefan Melnik,
who wrote several articles on Globalization and Liberalism. There
presentation by Mr. Sacha Tamm of FNF’s Liberal Institute in Potsdam
on Liberalism and Globalization.
Business and Trade
The field trip is on par with the group sessions and the workshop
proper. IAF brought us to Helmstedt, a former Military area dividing
the East and West Germany. In Magdeburg we met with the local
business association where we talked a lot of the local policies
in relation to a globalizing Europe and how it affects changes
in development. We had a lengthy discussion on various liberal
business policies and open markets in this regard. However, one
question that struck me was a query from a colleague from China
to the president of the Chamber of commerce on their business
policy towards undemocratic governments. The answer of the commerce
representative was simply, none. He further stressed that as long
as these governments give rights to their member companies to
operate and earn, they have cannot interfere with issues like
human rights abuses and so on. Related to this, we met with the
officials of the technical training institute, the Handwerkskammer
of Magdeburg. At the institute, young Germans are trained in various
technical competencies. This initiative is under the state and
is a mechanism to provide assistance to unemployed Germans to
get the necessary skills for them to join the work force.
One of the interesting business-related trips was in Wolfsburg,
the regional headquarters of Volkswagen. The group was treated
to a tour of the world’s biggest assembly plant of cars followed
by an intense discussion on the labor and economics of the automotive
business. Various labor policies and international strategies
were presented by the head of the human resources department of
Volkswagen.
Local Government Administration at Düsseldorf and
Magdeburg
In the course of our field visits, we met up with the local members
of parliament and other officials of Magdeburg and Düsseldorf.
In Düsseldorf the discussions were mainly focused on the
relationship between the national and the local government in
commerce. As the city is a major economic hub of the state, free
market was evidently in practice.
Historical tour of Berlin
The tour of Berlin gave us an overview of the post war developments
made by the democratic government. A lecture was presented on
the extensive war tragedies in Berlin and how the city was able
to regain the former glory prior to World War II.
Future Cooperation
The seminar ended with a heavy snow fall. With the falling of
the snow flakes comes the pouring out of commitments to organize
post seminar discussions on various matters related to globalization
through the internet. This sounds cliché, but I must admit,
I learned a lot and very much appreciated the pleasant staff of
the IAF and the cold, wintery environment that made my stay productive.
