International System and Change

This essay discusses the impact of globalization and technological innovations on the contemporary world, and argues that the world is getting flatter rather than round. It explores the changes in the political and economic conditions of the world, the networking of nations, and the increasing number of revolutions. The essay is based on the theories of Marxism and Network theory.

Running head: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM AND CHANGE
International System and Change
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Dannenberg et al. (2018) are of the viewpoint that the notion of the process of
globalization has positively impacted not only the business world but the entire world in
general. As opined by White (2018), the process of globalization although an ancient one
gained popularity in the latter part of the 19th century with the improvement of the transport
and communication services. This can be related to the invention of the telegraphic system
and also the steam boats which not only furthered the cause of the business enterprises but at
the same time changed the status quo of the world in a substantial manner as well (Shabir et
al. 2015). In this regard, it needs to be said that the publication of the book “The World is
Flat” by Thomas Friedman gave rise to the concept that the contemporary world in which the
people dwell is a flat one rather than a round one because of the changes brought in by
globalization and other modern constructs like economic changes, political changes and
others (Friedman and Wyman 2005). This essay will argue the fact that the contemporary
world is a flatter one rather than a round one because of the changes brought in by
globalization and other similar constructs in the particular light of the theories Marxism and
Network theory.
Heilbron, Boncourt and Sorá (2018) are of the viewpoint that the status quo of the
world has undergone a substantial amount of change in the recent because of the process of
globalization and also the emergence of the diverse kinds of innovative technologies. As
opined by Birkland (2015), the process of globalization has not only interconnected the
diverse business enterprises of the world but also the people of the world in a substantial
manner. In this regard, it needs to be said that the different people of the world unlike the
earlier times are being able to communicate with each other taking the help of the different
kinds of innovative technologies and also the process of globalization (Heilbron and Gingras
2018). This in turn has changed the status quo of the international system of the present day
in a substantial manner which in turn has increasingly made the world a flatter one. For

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example, in the earlier times the world was considered to be round because of the notion that
it was difficult for the people from one place to communicate in an effective manner with the
people from the other parts of the world and also because of the different boundaries that
existed which inhibited the same process (Borjian 2017). However, in the recent times with
the fall of the Berlin Wall, the emergence of Netscape, Work Flow Software, outsourcing and
others the world is increasingly being seen as flat by the people (Otsubo 2015). This in turn
has important repercussions not only for the international system but at the same time its
various related aspects like the political system, economic system and others (Guillotin
2018). More importantly, diverse people hold conflicting viewpoints regarding the
effectiveness as well as the significance of this change which has taken place within the
international system of the contemporary world (Borjian 2017).
As opined by Guillotin and Mangematin (2015), the change in the status quo of the
current international system can be traced in the political character of the modern day states,
economic growth of the contemporary world, the spread of diverse kinds of networks in the
contemporary times and also the increasing number of revolutions that the modern world is
facing. For example, one of the most important aspects on the basis of the fact on which it
can be argued that the world is getting flatter rather than round is the change in the political
condition of the diverse states of the world (Cichobłaziński 2015). In this regard, it needs to
be said that in the earlier times the notion of Marxism was a predominant one which used to
dictate the actions of the diverse states. It is pertinent to note that Marxism is a
socioeconomic theory which tries to analyze the working mechanism of the modern states
and also the relation between the workers and the business enterprises (Lorange, Ichijo and
de Onzoño 2018).
One of the most important aspects of this theory is the fact that the various states have
been constructed so as to extract the maximum amount of benefit from the workers. For

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example, the theory states that the diverse states merely use the workers and their labor for
the attainment of its own selfish needs and thus they relegate the affairs of the workers
completely to the background (Guillotin and Mangematin 2015). The net result of this is the
fact that the various states have prospered since the traditional times at the cost of the hard
labor of the workers. This in turn puts the workers at a great disadvantage and because of this
Marx propounded the notion of “dictatorship of the proletariat” (Borjian 2017). Lorange,
Ichijo and de Onzoño (2018) are of the viewpoint that this can be seen as a utopian concept
which articulates the idea that there will come a time when the workers will get their due
from the various states and its machineries for the labor that they have given for the growth
of these states. However, in the recent times it is seen that the concept of Marxism has
undergone a drastic change and is no longer being followed by the different states. In this
regard, it needs to be said that the major concept which is being followed by the different
states in the contemporary times is capitalism (Heilbron, Boncourt and Sorá 2018). For
example, contrary to the theory of Marxism the contemporary states are focusing on the
factor of profitability rather than the interests of the workers. The net result of this is the fact
that the interests of the workers are placed at a secondary pedestal and the interests of the
business enterprises are placed at the primary pedestal (White 2018). This is in affirmation
with the viewpoint of Friedman regarding the modern state and also the manner in which it
has become flat rather than round.
The flatness of the world is even perceptible in the economic growth of the world in
the recent times. For example, it is seen that the process of globalization has opened up new
gateways or windows of opportunities for the diverse business enterprises of the world in the
recent times because of the interconnectedness of international trade and commerce
(Dannenberg et al. 2018). This can be seen as the net result of the improvement of the
processes of communication and transportation in the recent times because of the

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technological advancements of the world. For example, it is seen that the diverse modern
business enterprises regardless of the nation in which they are originally based are
increasingly taking the help of the process of globalization or internationalization and
establishing their business centers in different nations of the world (Heilbron, Boncourt and
Sorá 2018).
Dannenberg et al. (2018) are of the viewpoint that this has not only positively affected
the international business world but at the same time the world economy as well. In this
regard, it is seen that the establishment of business centers in the diverse nations of the world
has not only improved the economic conditions of the different nations but at the same time
the prospects of these international business enterprises as well (Heilbron and Gingras 2018).
This in turn is directly related to the economic growth of the nations since the nations get a
part of the profit that the different business enterprises are making as part of taxes and other
kinds of tariff charges (Shabir et al. 2015). This is perhaps one of the major reasons why the
national governments of the diverse nations of the world are increasingly focusing on the
growth of trade and commerce. Furthermore, this growth of international business and its
relation to the growth of international economy can be explained on the basis of network
theory which has gained a substantial amount of prominence in the recent times (Guillotin
and Mangematin 2015).
Lorange, Ichijo and de Onzoño (2018) are of the viewpoint that this theory tries to
analyze the economic growth of the diverse nations of the world on the basis of analysis of
different kinds of gaps and charts. More importantly, they also take into effective
consideration the factor of the degree to which the economy of one nation is interconnected
or interlinked with the national economy of the other nations of the world (Borjian 2017). For
example, when the economy of the economic block European Union is taken into
consideration it becomes apparent that the economic prospects of the diverse members of the

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European Union is interlinked with the other member states of the block (Guillotin 2018).
This dependence in turn has given rise to the interconnection of the economy of the economic
block under discussion which has been able to gain success through the network that one
member nation shares with the other member nations of the union (Lorange, Ichijo and de
Onzoño 2018). Furthermore, it is seen that this interconnection or networking among the
diverse nations have facilitated the exchange of resources among the diverse nations which in
turn has improved the condition of trade and commerce in these nations (Heilbron, Boncourt
and Sorá 2018). This is not only important from the perspective of the profitability of the
different business enterprises but at the same time the economic growth of these nations as
well. This once again affirms to Friedman’s viewpoint that the world is getting flatter rather
than round.
As opined by Friedman and Wyman (2005), one of the major effects of the change in
the status quo of the world in the present times is witnessed in the increasing number of
revolutions that the world is facing currently. It is pertinent to note that the revolutions that
the world is facing currently are drastically different from the ones that it used to face in the
earlier times (Heilbron, Boncourt and Sorá 2018). In this regard, it needs to be said that in the
earlier times the revolutions were mainly concerned with the overthrow of anarchic or
dictatorial power whereas in the contemporary times it is seen that the revolutions are
concerned with the overthrow of misgoverning governments, terrorist rules, militant
governments and others (Heilbron and Gingras 2018). For example, the crisis or the
revolution which is currently undergoing in the nation of Syria is an important example of
this aspect of the contemporary world which as a matter of fact proves that the world is
getting flat rather than round (Shabir et al. 2015). It is pertinent to note that the citizens of
Syria are fighting against the militant rule of the national government of the nation and the
Prime Minister of the concerned nation (Lorange, Ichijo and de Onzoño 2018). This is in

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synchronicity with the notion of flatter world which states that the modern nations are
becoming more chaotic and this in turn gives rise to the diverse kinds of revolutions that the
modern states or nations are facing currently.
To conclude, the process of globalization and also the diverse technological
innovations of the world are increasingly changing the nature of the contemporary world.
Furthermore, this change is not only visible in the change in the current status quo that the
world has gone in the present times but at the same time the political as well as the economic
condition of the world. More importantly, the flatness of the world even becomes perceptible
in the networking of the diverse nations of the world and also the numerous revolutions that
has become an integral part of the contemporary world. In this regard, it needs to be said that
this aspects of the modern world are in synchronicity with the precepts of Friedman which he
articulated related to the characteristics of the modern flatter world in his famous book “The
World is Flat”.

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