Globalisation is the integration of economies, industries, markets, cultures and policy-making around the world and describes a process by which national and regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through the global network of trade, communication, immigration and transportation.[1]
Since the end of the Second World War rapid advancements in technology, transport and communication have led to an increasingly Globalised World where national boundaries are less significant and businesses and people increasingly see the world as one place.
Increasing numbers of ‘World’ organisations – initially the World Bank set up in 1944, followed by the United Nations (UN), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), all set up just after the end of WW2 – have been and continue to be at the forefront of driving the One-World vision.
- The World Bank has 189 national members.
- The UN membership currently includes all 193 nations.
- IMF now boasts 189 member countries.
- The WTO now has 164 member States.
The UN also acts as an umbrella organisation for numerous agencies such as;
- The World Health Organisation (WHO).
- The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
- The World Food Programme.
In addition there are now ‘World’ organisations covering; Tourism, Meteorology, Conservation, Atomic Energy, Policing, Environment, Water and other matters of global interest.
The rate of increase in ‘Globalisation’ across the world is graphically illustrated by the KOF Globalisation Index which measures the economic, social and political dimensions of globalisation across all countries and has been on the rise since the 1970s, receiving a particular boost after the end of the Cold War.
Politically the world has moved towards the global vision and since 1975 leaders of the world’s biggest economies (referred to as G8 (included Russia from 1997 – 2013) or G7 currently) – United States, Britain, France, Japan,Germany, Italy and Canada (since 1976)- have met annually, primarily to discuss global financial matters but covering other relevant subjects such as Terrorism and Climate Change. Although the summit doesn’t have any legal or political authority it has the power to shift the direction of global issues by mutual agreement. Other important global leaders are invited, including representatives of the European Union, China, India, Mexico, and Brazil along with leaders of important international organizations including the IMF,World Bank, and United Nations.
There is also the G20, or The Group of Twenty, formed in 1999 comprising 19 countries plus the European Union. This is a leading forum of the world’s major economies that seeks to develop global policies to address today’s most pressing challenges.
The Group of 77 (G-77) was established on 15 June 1964 by seventy-seven developing countries and held it’s first “Ministerial Meeting” in Algiers on 10 – 25 October 1967. Although the members of the G-77 have increased to 134 countries the original name has been retained due to its historic significance. It is the largest intergovernmental organization of developing countries in the United Nations, which provides the means for the countries of the South to articulate and promote their collective economic interests.
In 2016 United Nations member states approved the 2030 Agenda, a list of 17 global goals to tackle issues on a global scale;
‘Beginning in 2016, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sets the globally applicableframework for national and international efforts to find shared solutions to the world’s greatest challenges.
The 17 goals include 169 targets, many of which encourage and demand greater integration of individual states into the global governance of the planet such as:
- Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the WTO i.e. One global trading system operating under one global organisation.
- Enhance global macroeconomic stability …. through policy coordination and policy coherence. i.e. consistent policies across the globe.
- Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance. i.e. everyone under one umbrella.
The World Economic Forum states;
- ‘Over the next decade, we will witness changes tearing through the global economy with unprecedented speed, scale and force’
- ‘There are more challenges that require global consensus than ever before’
What does this mean?
We are witnesses to and participants in this rapidly developing drive towards greater Globalisation, the inevitable conclusion of which is global government. We can see how it is being done, and that it is possible to achieve with recent advances in technology, making the until recently impossible, possible. However, this should not be a surprise because over 2,600 years ago Daniel wrote telling us of a future Global Government split into 10 regions;
Daniel Ch. 7 v 7 – 24- After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth Beast – terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns (ten leaders)…. I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this. So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth…Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast…. He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour (have control over) the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from (rule over)this kingdom.’
What else does the Bible tell us?– The Future
What does that mean for you?– Good News
[1]The Times Lexicon