Реферат: Globalisation What Implications For Democratic Decision

of regional groupings ? such as the European Union, NAFTA and APEC(19)? and

international or multilateral agreements, particularly in the area of trade policy, such as the

World Trade Organisation, demands some thought on its implications for the

international balance of power or "international influence".

Dependency theorists argue that globalisation strengthens strong states at the

expense of small peripheral

players in the global economy.(20) Apart from their stated internal goals,

regional grouping may be one way for countries ? particularly small economies ?

to maximise their influence in global fora. So are regionalism and

multilateralism contradictory or complementary trends? In practice, regionalism

may be a step on the way to multilateralism, and a means to equalise the power

relationships in international decision-making between heterogeneous players.

During the Uruguay Round, the European Union showed the extent to which the

bargaining power of individual member states could be enhanced by collective

action.(21) Is globalisation

enhancing participatory democracy?Citizens are now

informed directly from international sources, particularly via global

television and, more recently, the Internet. It is no longer possible for

governments to censor or control in-flows or out-flows of information. This may

help to build democracy in

traditionally closed countries ? for example, by exposing dirty secrets such as

human rights abuses ? but it also facilitates the entry of what might be

considered undesirable information such as pornography, racist propaganda, or

even instructions on how to

carry out terrorist activities.(22) Information technology has effectively

eliminated the capacity of countries to keep out foreign influences;

"good" or "bad". This increased access

to information has a "democratising effect" ? politicising citizens

and often mobilising them into action ? which in turn has significant