GLOBALIZATION: INSTRUMENT OF HEGEMON TO INCREASE ITS POWER IN CHANGING SITUATION

Abstract: International politic after cold war concern more about low politic like culture, economy, environment, and gender than high politic like military and war even though nowadays they are still exist. Hegemony as usual nature always talks about how to get and spread of power using globalizations as instrument to increase its power after cold war because international situation change from bipolar to multi polar where globalization concept make local and national culture facing three choices: lost or decline situation, transform as standardized international culture where strong culture can be trend setter, or more increase (multiculturalism) because every country realize dangerous of globalizations. To answer that question author use self assumption which supported by case study and theory of hegemony, and globalization  to explain phenomena like identity crisis in many developing countries, ambiguities of globalization, westernization, or Americanization terms, technology and international business role as agent of cultural change and advantage and disadvantage of standardized international culture and how to solve this problem

Key word: international politic, globalization discourse, culture, hegemony

            Globalization is popular term nowadays. Epistemologically globalization is definited as developing relation between interdependency interrelation and inter human in the world by trade, investment, trip, popular culture, and other bias interaction so globalization still become discourse.[1] Most activities in the post cold war is influenced by globalization even though origin time of globalization unknown exactly. Free trade concept and international business is part of its derivation.  Globalization also stimulate presence  of  regional economic institutions such as European Union, APEC, and OPEC. Globalization issue is popular more and more by information technology progression rapidly, so it makes every one  from many parts of the world enable to communicate and change information every time. Space is not problem any more because world become borderless and look whole in one. Technology also facilitate to change and spread culture one another, like music, clothes, life style, movie, etc. Culture itself is values or perception which believed by people to everything. Both value and perception which related to psychology aspect which is in the world mind. Psycology aspect is important if realized that someone’s behavior is very influenced by what be in our mind. 

In reality not all of them share information fairly and equally but western country especially hegemonic country more dominate in extending information about culture and their interests to developing countries. It is not a big deal if  follow positive values of the other countries like knowledge of sophisticated technology and discipline hard work method. The  real problem  is that developing countries tend to follow western thing so globalization identical with westernization or Americanization because United State (US) is hegemon  in the post cold war era where international system is facing change situation from bipolar to multi polar and the next problem which presence is US use this gap by globalization motif  as instrument to legitimate and mantain his hegemony because international system is not unipolar and make local and national culture between evil and blue deep sea. There are three possibility which available: culture may be in lost or decline situation because culture which is unique is opponent of globalization which tend to be standardized but in contrary culture can be modified naturally, or transform as standardized international culture where certain culture is engineered to be trend setter, or more increase (multiculturalism) because every country realize dangerous of globalizations.

There are some theories to answer those problems, hegemonic theory where hegemony tend to expand its power to other countries which give priority to culture approach, ideology and economy than military.[2] There is no country which can be hoped to ignore this hegemonic condition except change it and compete to get the highest power if do not want to be  influenced. Japan and China which well known having strong character of nation not sliupped away from globalizations issue but it does not mean that they leave their own culture but they can take the bright side and eliminate the negative one even they can show to the world that by their unique culture and creation, they become exist and survive from identity crisis which is faced by most of Asian countries like Indonesia. Indonesia have just taken care of this culture after claimed by Malaysia because Indonesian people for this time more proud of US trend mark than local product.

According to Geert Hofstede about culture, there is power orientation where people respect to the highest hierarchy.[3] Its relation is manifest of transnational economic expansion in capitalism spirit where its interest is varieties from politic, trade and economic expansion itself because they is inherent with culture expansion so culture tend to support that political economy policy. So globalization which is disabuse by US as incumbent  hegemon even though get crucial economy crisis can be toleranced. More over spread of culture influence is unaware if we do not learn more and have deep culture background. Pop culture like hollywood movies exist between us from television and internet which we listen and watch in our daily life. So that Cochrane and Pain said that in globalization theory, there are three position which can be observed.[4] First, globalist believe that globalization is reality which has real consequence to how people and institution in the world work. They believe that countries and local culture will be lost by global culture and economic homogen and standardized which penetrated and refer to  international capitalism and trade. Globalist is divided into two extremely side, positive and optimistic who receive well that progressive and say that globalization produce tolerance and respect world people. Pessimism globalist say that globalization is negative phenomena because in reality it is western imperialism especially United Stated which force some homogenous  culture and consumption  as the right manifest. Most of them shape contra globalization group. Second, traditionalist unbelieve that globalization is happening. They say that this phenomena is myth. if it is really happen, it is enlarged too much. They think that capitalism is   international phenomena in the last hundred years. What we face is the next step or evolution of produce and capital trade. Third, transformationalist which is between globalist and traditionalist  agree that globalization influence is enlarged by globalist but they also think that fool if we deny this concept because globalization should be understood by a power which most of them is indirectly but its process can be reversed especially for negative effect or minimally can be handled.

From positions above, author choose the last one because globalizations is proved as instrument of hegemon as Cox  said that stability hegemonic order is based on horde of values which possessive together which from the ways of thinking and behave of dominance social stratification of hegemon which has power to influence the other countries to follow.[5] We can reject that influence by our increase our self confidence and understanding of our own culture and having nationality and unity, like japan and China so our multiculturalism can be maintained well not influenced by  Pop culture which is intended to be international culture. Existence of national culture is linier with our nation character. Even though we now learn about international politic but it does not guarantee result international culture. We need revival of traditional culture to stimulate revival national culture which now getting international culture threaten and avoid claimed cultural case which cause instability politic intra regionalism like batik which identical with Indonesia is patented to UNESCO in order that not possessived by Malaysia which has claimed because both of them is neighbor countries and people migration  is high so each country can confess if batik is belong to them beside that we can show to hegemon if we are independent even though by culture symbolization. 

Actually by culture standardization, conflict can minimalize because  misunderstanding between people which has different culture and human right and position is same and equal but the weakness is we do not become critical human and can stop innovation of knowledge and technology, because both of them is some example of culture which is result of creation, feeling, and creativity of human being. Our challenge is how to solve this problem where culture made by human so it should be advantage for human who have that culture. By having dynamic culture, we do not drugged into structuralis determinism, because even all of our culture is worse than American, they must have uniqueness which make them worthy and precious. So it  can be commodity of tourisme which finally can proud of our country and make prosper our people again. We as citizens have to support our government to do cultural exchange with other region or countries but also cared of filtration of foreign culture which has negative effect to support multiculturalism where different cultures precisely bind us in unity. If all people like that so identity crisis will not happen not only in Asia but also another non hegemon countries.

           

EPILOG

            Globalization movement plays role in decline and crisis of national identity because penetrate Pop Culture as hegemon’s instrument to legitimate his hegemonic by technology and international institution and business. To revival our culture, we have to respect and understand our culture and nationality, beside that to avoid conflict we can increase our tolerance to differences. In position as noun, culture has to be received by us but as verb, culture has to be managed by human. Context of culture is debatable depends on what perspective which we use. So that if we understand it textually where every culture is opened text, every culture an be interpretated and red again by every one whenever. Even author conclude that globalization is culture itself-product of hegemon country.

REFERENCES

Cox, Robert and Sinclair. 1996. Approaches to World Order. Cambridger: Cambridge University Press

Griffin, W. Ricky and Michael W. Pustay. 2005. International Business. New Jersey: Person Education Upper Saddle River page 109

Gunawan, Redy Hendra. 2007. Restorasi Budaya Nasional Melalui Transformasi Olahraga Tradisional sebagai upaya memperkokoh Jati Diri Bangsa.

Mustofa. 2008. Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan SMP

Plano, Jack C. 1982. The International Relation Dictionary. England: Clio press Ltd. hal. 204

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[1] Redy Hendra Gunawan. 2007. Restorasi Budaya Nasional Melalui Transformasi Olahraga Tradisional sebagai upaya memperkokoh Jati Diri Bangsa.

[2] Jack C. Plano. 1982. The International Relation Dictionary. England: Clio press Ltd. hal. 204

[3] Ricky W. Griffin, and Michael W. Pustay. 2005. International Business. New Jersey: Person Education Upper Saddle River page 109

[4] Mustofa. 2008. Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan SMP

[5]  Robert Cox and Sinclair. 1996. Approaches to World Order. Cambridger: Cambridge University Press.