Globalization and Human Rights in the COVID-19 World

1 Globalization and Human Rights in the COVID-19 World Introduction From the work of scholars working within the broad field of globalization and human rights, one can deduce these two fields are increasingly becoming more relevant to each other. The term 'globalization' speaks to the increasing interconnectedness, which is happening across the world (Hirst & Bromley, 2015). In other words, it refers to the phenomenon of increased interdependence between both people and countries. In the typical case, it is understood to consist of two aspects. The first is the process through which borders are opened to increase the flow of goods, services, finance, and people. The second aspect is the process through which changes are effected at both national and international levels not only to facilitate such flows, but also to promote them.

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Human rights, on the other hand, can be understood as being the basic rights to which every human being has a right on account of the fact that they exist. Usually, human rights are inalienable and inherent to every individual, regardless of their station and status in life. Through an international human rights framework, countries worldwide are often given the duty to protect their citizens (Hogg, 2016).

A consideration of the concepts of globalization and human rights demonstrates that both, in some cases, are concerned with the international element. Indeed, in the work by scholars such as Hirst & Bromley (2015), this international element provides a foundation from which to begin an examination of how the two concepts can be analyzed together. This examination becomes especially urgent and relevant in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, which has led to a reexamination of the norms around which the world has organized itself. Therefore, using these authors' work as an entry point, this essay will present an analysis of globalization, human rights, and COVID-19. In doing this, the aim will be to examine the extent to which these three phenomena converge and the issues that typically arise due to this intersection. The essay will be arranged in three sections. First, it will conduct an analysis of the most important aspects of globalization. This will be followed by a consideration of how globalization intersects with human rights. Finally, there will be a consideration of how the interaction of globalization and human rights has been affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

Globalization As has been noted in the introductory section, globalization is a term which makes reference to a process where there is an intentional and deliberate speeding up of both movements and exchanges in a manner that facilitates not only the exchange, but also the free flow of human

3 beings, ideas, goods, services, and cultural practices across the world. In his text, Hoberman (2020) notes that one of the most significant effects of globalization is that it promotes and increases interactions between different regions and populations located in various parts of the world.

There are three categories of globalization. These are social, economic, and political. Under social globalization, the focus is mainly on the social and cultural aspects which get transmitted from different parts of the worlds. The primary way through which social globalization occurs is through the exchange of ideas. Thus, social globalization can be referred to as the process through which ideas and cultural practices are transmitted through different countries. The research conducted by Schroeder (2018) is important in understanding the manner in which social globalization occurs. According to this author, in the current digital age, the internet and social media are at the center of the entire process. Indeed, a good example of this phenomenon can be seen in the speed at which ideas are transferred through popular media and internationally popular films, books, and music. Even so, it must be noted that, in the typical case, globalization entrenches the structures of power. Usually, the cultural flow at the heart of social globalization tends to flow from developed countries (such as the USA) to the developing countries. In this way, there may be an imbalance of power relations. Additionally, there is also the fact that social globalization is often criticized for eroding cultural differences between people.

Under economic globalization, there is an interconnectedness of economies, mainly through trade and the exchange of resources. In his work, Bhatia (2018) suggests that there is no country which has the ability to operate in isolation. Thus, certain countries' economic policies or certain geographical regions often have a long-term effect on others. Therefore, in a situation such as a global recession, many countries tend to be affected. In economic globalization, there are

4 frequently attempts made to ensure that there is an element of reciprocation. Therefore, if a country is able to sell its goods and services to another country, then the other country should also be able to sell their products to the first country.

In political globalization, the focus shifts from the social and economic aspects and is instead placed on the political aspects. In brief, political globalization typically refers to the extent to which political cooperation can be said to exist between different countries in the world. One of the ways political organization manifests itself is through the creation of the United Nations, which is a global body specially developed to increase cooperation between countries. Agencies established under the United Nations (World Trade Organization) also help to increase the level of political globalization. As Dogan & Arslan (2018) note in their work, encouraging political cooperation was initially supposed to help to prevent the global crises which became evident during the World Wars. However, since that time, the aims have progressed to include settling disputes between countries and promoting peaceful conflict resolution strategies between countries.

The Intersection of Globalization and Human Rights In the above section, it has been shown that globalization consists of three elements.

Furthermore, it was also submitted that a consideration of globalization and human rights reveals that the two phenomena are typically concerned with the international aspect. Thus, a juxtaposition of these two concepts has to begin from an international framework. In doing this, the relationship between globalization and human rights will be considered in line with the three identified categories of globalization.

Social Globalization and Human Rights

5 Under social globalization, the focus is placed mainly on the ideas and cultural practices that flow from one country to the other. In the preceding section, it was also noted that, because of the manner in which power is wielded in the world, social globalization often flows from one center of the world and that is the developed world. Within the context of human rights, therefore, questions arise as to whether the power balance that could exist in such an arrangement can be said to be a way through which the infringement of human rights continues.

Thus, if globalization is practiced in such a manner as to erode the cultural differences between various groups of people, then it could be said that, ultimately, it will result in an infringement in the right that people have not just to practice their cultures, but also to benefit from their cultures.

The question of Intellectual Property rights can be raised within this context. In his work, Goodhart (2016) details the fact that globalization has led to a scenario where powerful multinational corporations may benefit materially from the cultural artifacts of a particular place without necessarily acknowledging that the property rights in question do not belong to them. In this manner, cultural appropriation becomes a way through which the benefits of social globalization are limited through the context of human rights infringement. It is also necessary to consider the question from the side of the powerful multinationals who seek to introduce certain ideas into a new market. If a British company, for example, seeks to partner with a Chilean firm to sell its idea or product in the Chilean market, one of the first considerations will be to question whether the Chilean government has put in place appropriate measures to ensure that the Intellectual Property of the French company will be protected. Without these guarantees, then globalization will ultimately function as an infringement of the human rights of both natural and juridical entities.

Economic Globalization

6 Under economic globalization, the aim is to open up the markets of countries so that there can be the free movement of goods and services across countries. Even so, it is worth noting that, in some cases, this arrangement is not always fair to the involved countries. As Goodhart (2016) argues in his text, global economic policy is often crafted in the Western part of the world.

Through a confluence of colonization, neo-colonialism, and the aid economy, developing countries find themselves having to arrange their economic policies in a manner that will comply with the dictates of individual countries or global financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank. In this manner, it can be said that, even though economic globalization may have some benefits, some of its effects may have the effect of infringing upon the rights of citizens in other countries.

An example of how economic globalization can infringe on human rights can be found where certain countries decide to effect an embargo on a particular country. An embargo can be understood to be an official ban on a particular country to limit the extent to which it can engage in commercial activities. While an embargo may be a way through which the international community places pressure on a country to change its policies, the eventual effect is that it may lead to an infringement on the rights of citizens in so far as basic rights such as the right to food, shelter, and clothing are concerned (Goodhart, 2016). As was noted in the earlier sections of the present essay, economic globalization typically means that the economies of certain countries are so connected as to allow the possibility that, if a restriction is placed on one of the economies, then the effect will be an infringement into the rights of citizens.

Political Globalization Under political organization, countries are encouraged to come together in order to reach a certain aim. Indeed, as the work conducted by scholars such as Banerjee (2017) will

7 demonstrate, the main aim of having global cooperation between countries is to prevent political crises such as those which were witnessed during the World Wars. Thus, bodies such as the United Nations play a significant role in ensuring that the world remains in a relative state of peace. It will be noted that, in some cases, political globalization may result in situations that infringe upon citizens' human rights.

The embargo example cited in the section above will suffice. While an embargo is often a way of effecting economic pressure, it is also often used politically. Thus, a body such as the United Nations may tap into the idea of political globalization to pressure a particular country to conform to certain standards. In doing this, the results of these strategies may lead to a further victimization of the citizens who are in the countries that face the embargoes in question (Banerjee, 2017). Thus, in this way, it is possible to see how political globalization can lead to a situation where there comes to be an infringement on citizens' human rights.

The Intersection of Globalization, Human Rights, and COVID-19 The current COVID-19 crisis which is currently being faced by the world can be said to be testament of the manner in which the forces of globalization operate. Indeed, due to improved transport infrastructure, the transmission of the virus operated faster than in the case of the Spanish Flu. In the following sections, critical aspects of the coronavirus will be considered through the three categories of globalization vis-à-vis COVID-19.

Social Globalization, Human Rights, and COVID-19 Under social globalization, there is the facilitation of the free movement of ideas and cultures. It has been noted that, in some cases, there can be a power imbalance in the manner in which the said ideas move. Furthermore, in certain cases, there can be infringement into the intellectual property rights of certain entities (Yaya et al., 2020). During the COVID-19 crisis, this free

8 exchange of cultures led to a scenario where countries like China were criticized as being the originators of the virus. While Chinese culture has, in some cases, been celebrated, in this case, it could be said to have been infringed upon because of the COVID-19 crisis. The abuse that people of Chinese origin went through could not only be said to be a failure of globalization but also an infringement of the cultural rights of people of Chinese origin.

Economic Globalization, Human Rights, and COVID-19 Even though it could not be said that the coronavirus was the fault of specific entities, it has nevertheless led to an economic slump in so far as the global economic order is concerned. At the beginning of the crisis, there were significant limitations with respect to air and ship transport. This reduced economic activity and led to an increase in the number of people who were able to engage in economic activities that would guarantee them a living (Yaya et al., 2020). Thus, even though there was not a single entity to blame, globalization had led to a situation where a virus that originated in one part of the world went on to cause economic difficulties in other parts of the world. These difficulties were also because of economic globalization.

Political Globalization, Human Rights, and COVID-19 Under political globalization, there is typically a concerted effort to ensure that the world is able to cooperate in a manner that will guarantee continued peaceful relations. As has been noted above, one could argue that the fast manner in which the coronavirus spread is primarily a function of globalization. When it comes to the intersection of political globalization, human rights, and the coronavirus, it will be noted that agencies such as the World Health Organization have been at the forefront of efforts not only of dealing with the crisis, but also raising awareness regarding the best way to deal with the virus (Yaya et al., 2020). In this way, then, there has been

9 an upholding of the human rights of individuals who have either come into contact with the virus or those at risk of doing so.

Conclusion Overall, then, one could argue that, when it comes to both human rights and COVID-19, globalization has played a significant role in both phenomena. In addition to this, all of these three phenomena can be said to have an international element and, as such, cannot be restricted to a national framework of understanding and analysis. To get insight into the points of intersection between globalization, COVID-19, and human rights, the first place to begin is an assessment of how they continue to operate on an international scale and framework.

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Dogan, C., & Arslan, Ü. (2016). Political globalization and foreign direct investment inflows in Turkey. International Journal of Business and Social Research, 6(05).

Goodhart, M. E. (Ed.). (2016). Human rights: politics and practice. Oxford university press.

Hirst, P., Thompson, G., & Bromley, S. (2015). Globalization in question. John Wiley & Sons.

Hoberman, J. (2020). Sportive nationalism and globalization. In Post-Olympism (pp. 177-188).

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Yaya, S., Otu, A., & Labonté, R. (2020). Globalisation in the time of COVID-19: repositioning Africa to meet the immediate and remote challenges. Globalization and Health, 16(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-020-00581-4