Global Migration

Activity:
1. Distinguish different global civilizations and categories

2. Explain the political, economic, cultural, and social factors underlying the global
movements of people; and

Discussion
During the Cold War, leaders all over the globe agreed to classify the world into
three (3) categories: First World refers to states which have high-income and are
capital-rich; Second World refers to the former communist-socialist, industrial states;
and Third World refers to nations not aligned with either the First World or Second
World which are also called “developing” countries.

The aftermath of the Cold War ended the bipolarity of the world’s hegemonic
powers which were held by the Western Bloc (United States, its NATO allies, and others)
and the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and its satellite states). This left the United
States as the sole remaining super power of the world. By 1989, US had military
alliances with 50 countries therefore bringing to life the American era. As a superpower,
US relied on its strong democracy and capitalist market to promote free market
capitalism and further emphasize its global power. However, its success in promoting
such market led to the dispersal of power to several other countries.

After a decade, Fareed Zakaria (2008) refers to this as the post-American world
which is illustrated by the diffusion of power from states to other actors. This diffusion
of power signals the “rise of the rest” which gives other states the power to play roles in
the world’s economic and political arena. In connection with this, Huntington (1996)
claims that Asian nations are expanding their economic, political, and military strength
as a way to show the power they can be capable to hold in the world. Thus, the American
era which includes the post-American world refers to a period power imbalance.

The classification of countries into three was changed into two: developed and
developing. Developed countries are countries that have progressive economies and
advanced technological infrastructures while developing countries are low-income
countries with less developed industrial bases. These two types of countries emerged to
highlight the economic inequalities of states. Such inequalities pushes people living in
developing countries to seek better opportunities in developed countries or sometimes,
motivates them to just move from one country to another to attain the ways of living
they are aspiring for. This ongoing movement of people from one country to another is
called migration.

As physical and human geographies develop, the world is becoming connected.

Connectedness of nations, ethnicities, and states is the new trend in the international
arena. Civilizations become global civilizations. Through the rising global civilizations,
the world has turned into a multipolar power. In the words of Samuel Huntington, he
argues:

The rivalry of the superpowers is replaced by the clash of civilizations. In this new
world, the most pervasive, important, and dangerous conflicts will not be between social
classes, rich and poor, or other economically defined groups, but between peoples
belonging to different cultural entities.

According to Huntington, global civilizations are divided into the following

categories: Western, Latin American; Islamic; Sinic; Hindu; Buddhist; Orthodox;
Japanese; and African. At present, people from these global civilizations constantly
move from one place to another just to achieve economic stability, democratic freedom,
and holistically good life that their home countries might not be able to offer.

According to Heywood (2011), cosmopolitan literally means the adherence or

belief in the world state. It is the ideology that all human beings belong to a single
community. As a concept that can be linked to globalization, it began its journey when
the world moved towards a single moral community from simply believing that the
world could be governed by one state. In the analysis of Pogge (2008), he identifies
three (3) elements of this concept – individualism, universality, and generality.

In individualism, cosmopolitanism believes that a human being is the ultimate

unit of moral concern; second, the element of universality wherein he asserts that all
human beings are of equal moral worth; and lastly, the concept acknowledges the
element of generality which implies that human beings have necessary concern for each
other (Pogge, 2008). Thus, understanding the concept of cosmopolitan requires an in-
depts understanding of the role of moral integrity among people. Through this
understanding of the role of moral integrity among people. Through this concept, the
global city in globalization has come into existence. However, some critics say that it is
impossible to transcend moral and cultural aspects of societies on an international level.
Migration can be linked to cosmopolitanism in the way that it enables people to agree on
a common moral standard which is influenced by how different cultures come in contact
with one another as people move from one place to another.

There are two types of migration – internal and international migration.

Internal migration is any movement from one place to another in the same country.
On the other hand, international migration is a movement from one country to
another.

From the rise of the very first civilizations, many scholars believe that social
inequality, economic depression, and freedom deprivation are factors why people move
from one place to another. These factors are the reasons why cosmopolitan ideas exist.
They occur at present and since the concept of cosmopolitanism adheres to the equality
and moral integrity among men, it plays a role in why people migrate. It is clear that
migration is and will always be a trend. Some experts say that migration also has its own
catalysts for it fuels the population growth of a region or a country. Internal migration is
also known as a local migration and has always been driven by economic sustainability.

In the midst of globalization, nations around the world engage in trade to

promote and strengthen relationships among them. There is no global government that
could govern all nations. According to Henry Nau (2009), transnational relations
exist in the present world because countries trade with one another, and populations
move across state boundaries.

Due to transnational relations and the growing demand for economic wealth,
migration exists. It is defined as the form of social behavior that both shapes and is
shaped by broader social and economic structures and processes of transformation
(International Migration Institute, 2011). In the definition of Boswell (2002), however,
migration is not only rooted in economic aspirations but also in political motivations.
This is because some people are being oppressed by their governments and want to be
free from tyrannical politicians. For centuries, this trend has been existent because of
the necessity to explore and gain natural resources. At present, global migration is a
unique concept.

To better understand the concept of global migration, three (3) categories of this
trend were created: voluntary economic migration, forced displacement, and refugee
crisis. Voluntary economic migration is rooted is the pursuit of economic stability. It is
usually seen in the condition of people in the global south such as in the regions of Asia
and Africa. People from these regions move to other countries which have steadily
growing labor markets and can provide them high salaries. This kind of migration in
illustrated by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). The second and third categories, on the
other hand, refer to how people are forced to migrate. According to Boswell (2002),
forced displacement and the refugee crisis could be traced to the factors of state tyranny
or corruption of the fear of violence such as civil war.

There are several effects of migration in a particular country. There are different
scenarios and different factors why people migrate. Migration plays a vital role in the
social, economic, and political aspects of the Philippines. With the country reliant on
labor export, OFW’s are seen to be major economic drivers of the country. They affect
the economic sustainability of the country through their remittances. In addition, this is
also the reason why the country’s foreign policy focuses on labor export. Another effect
of migration in the Philippines is the brain drain. In 2009, the Philippine Institute of
Development Studies found out that fifty percent of employed Filipino emigrants have
tertiary education and only 14.5 percent of them are managers and professionals, 26.6
percent of them are working as technicians and clerks, and the rest are operators known
as service workers (Zosa & Obeta, 2009).