John Bruton on globalization

John Bruton, ex-Toaiseacht and current ambassador for the EU to the USA. On foreign affairs I think it is fair to say he is a very peaceful internationalist. He seems to prefer to use globalization as a means of bringing people together via interdependence, oppose to idea which most people have when then hear the word, globalization.

In Ireland he would be famous for encouraging the Northern Ireland peace process during difficult times, and being very pro-European integration. As president of the EU, he completed the Stability and Growth Pact, which eventually brought in the Euro.

His comments on globalization from his weekly message.

Thanks to the globalization that has been going on since 1945, we have developed a world where we depend much more on people in other countries than ever before and have the concomitant capacity to damage one another, too. But, when it comes to making policy, we still only think of ourselves as nations, and fail almost totally to think about what might be good for other nations.

In so doing, we, indirectly but surely, injure our own interests. This myopia was manifest, too, in the Irish Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

It requires imaginative political leadership, and imaginative electorates, to overcome myopia and build a democratic superstructure that can knit our globalized world safely together.

I think it is clear from this comment that all the world nations to work together to solve common problems, oppose to trying to get the best deal that only benifit ourselves.

He goes on to say;

“Who is my neighbor? All mankind is my neighbor.”

That is not a new ideal. It is more than 2,000 years old. But it seems we will have to relearn it over and over again!

This seems to be a reference to Jesus Christ and the basic Christian view on “good will to all mankind”. Bruton is what one would call, a Christian Democrat. CDs believe that the state should help the disadvantaged to get jobs and provide for their family. Also they believe in using the market in order to provide for society needs. Oppose to allowing big companies own and run public services(neo-liberalism), or complete state control(socialism).