Globalisation has made the world unipolar rather than multipolar.(30)

Unipolar

Where the world is dominated by 1 single nations influence and there is only one superpower that is not constrained by any potential rival

Multipolar

The opposite where an international system has three or more poles (states)

argument

The world has become more Unipolar with the biggest examples of this being culturally, politically, and economically through globalisation, and whilst they all present reasons for being multipolar, the spread of American and Westernisation is reason for the world being more unipolar than multipolar.

Paragraph 1 Cultural

Globalisation promotes cultural unipolarity and monocultures

o Spread of Western values (such as democracy) has led to global monocultures being created

o The world is in a state of Unipolarity due to Globalisation Pushing the spread of US culture into other states (Americanisation)

o Current US GDP is over $20 trillion (1/4 of the worlds GDP) with the USD the most used currency around the world.

o Americanisation has also spread West àMcDonaldisation

· Has stores in all but 5 countries and as a result has developed a Global Brand with similar menu items all across the world. (recognition of a McFlurry Worldwide)

PG1 Counter

o Mcdonaldisation has still been able to cater to Countries' needs

o Beef has been removed from Menus in India to cater for region and respect for a countries culture

o Shows the Cultural Globalisation is hindered and the extent to which a Unipolar society can be established is limited

PG1 Judgement

Cultural Globalisation has caused the world to become more unipolar. This is through large MNC that have expanded their sphere of influence over the world significantly. Although it could be argued that a multipolar society is still at large due to the adaptation of MNC to local cultures and communities, the market share that McDonalds and other MNC such as Apple now have means that the spread of, particularly American Businesses, is resulting in a growing Unipolar society.

Paragraph 2 Political

The world is dominated by Organisations that are dominated by world superpowers such as the USA and powerful West.

o The P5 in NATO are all states that NATO revolves around and as a result have spread western values

o This means that the due to the global institutions having fundamental basis that relies on western values, it means that political globalisation has strengthened unipolarity ads it means they can continue to dominate the political field.

PG2 Counter

Multipolarity has been established by the introduction of IGOs such as NATO and the UN.

o For example, in the EU General Assembly, as decisions are made by a qualified majority voting on the Council of ministers, they are legally binding to all member states.

o This also means that in ASEAN it has a collective number of aims which include all states involved. This means that it includes a number of states including non-western states able to present their views or press their own perspective, in opposition to the US/West.

PG2 Judgement

Although there is increasing multipolarity in IGOs such as the UN and the EU GAs, the dominance of a select few states means that in reality, in terms of political Globalisation, a Unipolar state is going to be the way forward in the near future. The dominance of the P5 in particular in NATO mean that power lies with the nations that form the P5, and that the world is far more Unipolar than Multipolar.

Paragraph 3 Economic

Interdependence on multiple economies that promotes unipolarity.

o Due to the Washington Consensus (a set of economic policy recommendations for developing countries that became popular in the 1980s), it has led to the dominance of free market principles in global trade.

o This has led to the establishment of economic regulation with one such example being the UN Economic and Social council and the Euro Zone which further promote unipolarity

o IGOs such as the world bank have also promoted this Unipolarity

o There is a global acceptance of a western/ US economic philosophy and due to the US being dominant within economic decisions, it shows that the world is becoming economically unipolar.

PG3 Counter

· Hegemonic US is being challenged by other states

o China controls so much of US's debt shows the economic balance of power has shifted eastwards

o Washington consensus of free-market liberalism is increasingly being challenged by the Beijing Consensus of state-orientated capitalism

PG3 Judgement

It is impossible to ignore the Spread of Americanisation through MNC such as McDonalds. The increasing power of States such as China limits the extent to which the world is becoming more Unipolar, but ultimately the world is becoming more unipolar due to the shear size and magnitude of the US' influence in todays economy.