Globalization and politics are related in many ways. Whenever any country does anything internationally, that’s globalization.

When you think of politics, you’re probably just thinking of your own city’s or country’s government. You, for the most part, probably view politics through a national lens (what is my government doing for me and the citizens of this country). But politics isn’t just local –it expands past the borders and over the seas.

When your government sends the military to another nation, whether it be to fight a war, resolve conflict, or for peacemaking while carrying big, automatic machine guns, that’s international (or global) politics. If the government deals with refugees and asylum seekers, that’s international politics. When your government sets up protocols to protect the country against terrorists, that’s international politics.

All of the mentioned political events deal with global issues. And because of these (and events like them), politics is globalized.

The Iraq War as an Example of Globalization and Politics

In 2003, the United States and the United Kingdom agreed to join forces to invade Iraq. The two leaders of the nations at that time, George W. Bush and Tony Blair, believed that Iraq leader Saddam Hussain needed to be overthrown. They claimed that Hussain had weapons of mass destruction, supported the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, and was a dictator.

There are some who also believe that the US and UK leaders had ulterior motives –they wanted Iraq’s oil. But (in a sarcastic voice), that’s silly! Bush and Blair…greedy? No way! These two nations have never, in their history, imperialized other nations!

Anywhoo, the war went on for nearly a decade. It killed countless numbers of people –some soldiers, some innocent bystanders.

But can you see how this is globalization? Two nations, a sea apart, joined forces to take out (and steal from) another nation in the Middle East. And when the war was over, it left negative effects on all sides.

The US and UK spent trillions of dollars on the war instead of using that money to improve their societies. Rather than putting that money, into say, education, the US used it to manufacture weapons. And let’s not forget all those who died. And all those who are suffering from PTSD with no assistance from the government. Also, we can’t forget all the families who lost someone because of this war.

As for Iraq, people lost family members, homes, and communities. Their government and economy are messed up. And there is still a lot of violence that is still happening in that region.

The Iraq War has all the ingredients of globalization –international partnership, international conflict, and negative legacies.

There are, of course, still many more negative effects for all nations involved. It really seems like the only winners of this war are those who were in power.

I hope this helped you understand globalization and politics better. In the comments, share a global political issue and tell me how it’s globalization.

P.S. If you want to learn more about sociology, check out my book, SOCI 001: The Armchair Sociologist’s Guide to Sociology. It’s a beginner sociology text for those who are new to the social science and want basic explanations of the concepts. Click here to learn more about it on Amazon.