The Great Transformation II: Human Rights Leapfrogging in the Era of Globalization

Whether globalization will result in improvement or deterioration in protection of human rights is not a matter that can be observed in the short term. Globalization is, in effect, the second ‘great transformation’ (Polanyi) spreading capitalism over the entire world. In consequence, many of its short-term effects will be negative. Nevertheless, its medium and long-term effects may well be positive, as it impels social changes that will result in greater moves to democracy, economic redistribution, the rule of law, and promotion of civil and political rights. Capitalism is a necessary, though hardly sufficient condition for democracy: democracy is the best, though not the inevitable, political system to protect human rights. This does not mean that the non-Western world will follow the exact same path to protection of human rights that the Western world followed. The West had a singular advantage: it was not expected to protect human rights during its own era of economic expansion. Thus, the West was able to practice slavery, expel surplus populations, and colonize other parts of the world. Genocide and ethnic cleaning were permissible state activities. The non-Western world does not enjoy the advantage of human rights lawlessness. It does, however, enjoy other advantages occasioned by the presence of human rights. There is a global communications network and a global pro-human rights social movement. There is also the movement to global governance. Finally, and paradoxically, there is the global social movement against globalization, which forces some reflection upon its deleterious consequences. Thus, the non-Western world benefits from geographical and chronological human rights ‘leapfrogging’. This, along with the social changes that global capitalism and industrialism may impel, may mean that the medium and long-term consequences of globalization are positive for human rights.