Disruptive forces of globalisation

, that the only controversial part of globalisation is its economic policy, is only a half-truth.

For the other half of the story on what globalisation is up to, the readers have to turn to this book. Amy Chua, Professor of Law at Yale University, has made it abundantly clear that globalisation has political consequences.

If pursued uninterruptedly in its current form, it has disruptive consequences for our world. By rummaging through the political developments of our time and with analyses of the historical cases of specific instances, she demonstrates the dense connection between the "exported version of democracy" and "ethnic conflicts" in many parts of the world.

Her argument is straightforward: "In countries with a market-dominant minority, democratisation, rather than reinforcing the market's efficiency and wealth-producing effects, leads to powerful ethno-nationalist, anti-market pressures and routinely results in confiscation, instability, authoritarian backlash, and violence."

The book starts with a detailed, chilling account of the murder of Leona, the author's aunt in Manila in September of 1994. The crime was committed by her own chauffeur, Nilo Abique.

She recollects with undiluted fondness her friendship with the victim; the good times she often had with her; the 'small diamonds' she received as gifts from her 58-year-old single aunt.

The author makes no secret of her class and ethnic background, and admits, "My family is part of the Philippines' tiny but entrepreneurial, economically powerful Chinese minority."

So, the motive for her aunt Leona's murder entered in police report wasn't robbery, even though it was believed that the chauffeur had taken jewellery and money.

It was 'Revenge'"" just one word, fuelled by enormous ethnic hatred. The Chinese Filipinos consist of only one per cent of the population and yet they control as much as 60 per cent of the private economy. Their vast holdings include the country's four major airlines and almost all the country's banks, hotels, shopping malls and major conglomerates.

What makes this story particularly relevant is the adversarial ethnic connection between the victim and the killer. Readers should realise now that the book is not first-rate crime fiction, but a political narrative.

Ethnic conflicts occurring in most parts of the world often share a similar pattern which supports the hypothesis of the book.

For example, the Lebanese in West Africa, the Jews in post-Communist Russia, the Indians in East Africa, the Croatians in the former Yugoslavia, and the Chinese in South-east Asia are some of the market-dominant minorities who have been targets of ethnic violence.

Despite the connection the book shows between market economy and ethnic conflicts, such violence has prevailed in parts of the world prior to globalisation. Take for example South Asia. It is perhaps true that capitalism produces ethnic biases.

But we are yet to devise a concrete economic alternative that could neutralise this bias. This is a potential question that anyone who agrees with Dr Chua's observations, will have to deal with.

While her effort to invoke compassion in the hearts of heartless magnates by asking them to take part in 'voluntary generosity' for the wretched of the earth should be applauded, it needs be understood that it could never be a programmatic political alternative.

People, we know, do not accumulate wealth for the purpose of charity. This is a rather not normal expectation from a majority of self-centered, scandalously wealthy people, who often use ethically objectionable means to build their fortunes.

Nonetheless, the current crisis calls for reflections especially on the ways in which market excesses could be contained and how the developmental state for non-Western societies could be refashioned.

The motivation should not be to feed the hands knowing that they were going to bite us (Americans), following the advice of Pulitzer Prize winner Jared Diamond.

Instead, it should be practised in the hope that human beings everywhere are capable of feeding themselves if they were endowed with requisite institutional designs and incentives.

The global ruling elites must recognise that every society could become self-reliant. The positive accomplishments of the West can be replicated by the Rest.

This is a book that anyone who cares to know where we stand, and together where we can reach as humanity, must read, and deliberate.

World on Fire
How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability

Amy Chua
Doubleday, NewYork, 2003
Pages: 340/Price: $26