This chapter focuses on the global stage on which terrorism has come to play a prominent role. It identifies two long trajectories of humankind: first the smiling muse of globalization – a world of economic and cultural exchange – and second, the frowning mask of conflict between vast cultural blocs. The globalist trajectory is described in the perspectives of Fukuyama, Bhagwati, Friedman, and others. The clash of civilizations model was first put forth by Princeton scholar Bernard Lewis and then embellished and adapted by Harvard political scientist Samuel P. Huntington. The fundamental positions of the proponents and critics of the two models are described. The chapter asks how these two models can inform our understanding of terrorism and policies for preventing it in both the near and the long term.

From Alexander the Great to Twenty-First-Century Globalization

A Short History of Globalization

Globalization is the process of economic, technological, and cultural exchange linking people in different parts of the world. It involves the creation and use of pathways that connect people both physically and electronically across continents. Most people think of globalization as having to do with cell phones and the Internet – fostering interconnections through modern communication and computerization technologies. The roots of globalization, however, bear little resemblance to modern technology. They begin with the most primitive of forces: the migration of species. Humans originated in Africa, along with so many other species of life, and over many millennia they diverged and migrated to the other continents.