GLOBALISATION TO PROTECTIONISM

In this globalized world, Globalisation often comes up for discussions and while many speak eulogising globalisation, as many put the entire blame on it for all the ills prevalent across the world. Globalisation per se is not something worth blaming and as Amartya Sen in his much acclaimed 'Argumentative Indian, establishes with facts globalisation was very much here and it is not at all a new phenomenon. Trade, travels by great travellers of yore like Huen Tsang, Fahian, Vasco Da Gama to name a few, flourished across various countries since centuries. As we are witnessing today academic pursuits as well as cultural contacts were in vogue in those days. Hence blaming globalisation blindly has no meaning otherwise absolutely meaningless. Unfortunately it has turned out to be a fashion among a lot to cast aspersions on globalisation and they are not to be blamed for it, as they have their own reasons in subjecting it to scathing criticism. Even those who keep soft corner in their minds towards it, of late the negative points far outweigh plus points a stark unfortunate reality.
Many a bad influence affect all countries from across Western countries like sexual anarchy, a permissive society, the inflow of immoral tendencies, selfish, greed, ulteriror motives of the industrial and business communities by flashing obscene advertisements through visual, print media, internet, bad cultural influences, all being aped across the spectrum in India and other such developing and least developed countries. The inundating bad influences especially affect our children and youth alike and all these influences assimilated and practised by a world of cut-throat competition for amassing wealth and way-ward dealings like drug-trafficking, immoral trafficking and child abuse. Nowadays our contemporary film sector is ne of the examples barring a minority of films, obscenity rules roost in majority of films, the purpose behind producing such films remain the greed for more and more wealth and gratification of sorts. Many actors, male and female alike compete with one another to plunge into the tinsel world and thus hog the lime-light and also for piling up crores and crores of money. In their race to grab opportunities they stoop to such low levels like shedding their self-respect and ethical values. Globalisation in fact plays a prominent role bringing the situation to such a pass.
Due to these bad influences, the plus sides are widely neglected like youth and businessmen getting ample opportunities for pursuing higher-studies, to pursue more jobs with attractive career prospects and also for starting new business ventures by the trade and business community. Lakhs benefitted simultaneously benefitting their mother countries through remittances from abroad. The boom period lasted for decades benefitting many nations and many job, business and trade aspirants.
Ever since the unfortunate Global Economic Meltdown in America in 2008 and its repercussions across Europe, even the Asian nations like India inspite of being a regulated economy badly affected, the boom period had to bid good-bye subsequently forcing US and European nations thinking on the lines of protectionist tendencies. Many rendered jobless in fact including educated, employed youth of US and the Indian diaspora. Till then enjoying brilliant career prospects and earning lucrative salaries these Indian youth in droves left to their motherland jobless. A few upon getting depressed bid goodbye to their lives together with their families. The sudden shock on the economy naturally shocked many and those ones who lavishly enjoyed lives till then couldn't come face to face with the stark reality.
After Barack Obama ascended the throne in 2008, he unleashed a stimulus package of US $789 bn, a meagre sum compared to the magnitude of the disaster and naturally it could only partially benefit the nation.
Many remained homeless, jobless and on witnessing their lot, he mulled restricting the outsourcing of jobs to India by raising tax rates of those businessmen outsourcing jobs to India. In addition to that he raised the H1B and L1 visa fee hikes sharply affecting a lot of Indians very badly. Any reduction of tax-rates on outsourcing of jobs and any reduction of raised visa fees are not even a distant possibility even on the ocassion of Obama's ongoing visit to India.
Similar is the case in Britain, where immigration rules have been tightened raising the visa fees for students and skilled employees. That nation also seems to be moving on the path of Protectionism, another threat to Indian students and skilled workers.
Venkita Raman Ramakrishnan, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 2009, India's pride, reportedly has come down on tightening of immigration rules where he is immersed in research in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) at Cambridge. He went on with his observation that if the immigration rules that he witnesses today were in force at the moment of his hope of flying to Britain he would never have even imagined about landing in Britain to follow his research.
Britain's new immigration rules according to Venkita Raman Ramakrishnan are bound to affect badly the Indian students intending to pursue higher academic studies in Britain and which would ultimately affect not only those students but the entire world in the coming days ultimately stagnating the progress of academic pursuits and employment.
As austerity measures across European countries become rampant protectionist tendencies are expected to rise alarmingly and at present there seems to be no way out.