Cartoon Review

MUHAMMAD IKHMAL BIN ABD RAHMAN

A154226

TASK: POLITICAL CARTOON REVIEW SKSJ 20153.

        I have selected few political cartoons to be reviewed on this task. The theme I’ve picked to be reviewed on are Economic Globalization and Free trade. How the combination of these two in international relation have affected the life of people of the world. In the review I will includes the cartoon I found relatable to the concept or the theme.  I will first start this reviewing by giving a brief introduction about the economic globalization and free trade.

        Economic Globalization is the increasing economic integration and interdependence of national, regional, and local economies across the world through an intensification of cross-border movement of goods, services, technologies and capital.  In the economic globalization we can see clearly the pattern and consequences of international economic transaction between different countries including trade, migration and investment. Giant framework such as the WTO ,which made other countries to cut down trade barriers. Globalization has the power to radically increased incomes and economic growth in developing countries, and it also have major power to affects the culture of each affected countries. Economic globalization had influenced the life, culture and sometime even a country economic system.

        Free Trade is a policy followed by some international markets in which countries government cannot and do not restrict imports from, or exports to, other countries. Most nations that support free trade are today members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) multilateral trade agreements. However, most governments still impose some protectionist policies that are intended to support local employment, because if the system is to let go by itself the concern would be local residents will get left behind especially in getting jobs. Governments may also restrict free trade to limit exports of natural resources. Barriers such as regulatory legislation is considered bad for people that favoured free trade.

The Cartoons and Reviews

[pic 1]

        In the first picture we can see the man is flirting the lady in blue with something so that the lady will bring down the barrier and accept him, the word free-trade pact was written at the thing that the man hold. The man is America and the lady in blue is European Union. America is the pioneer of capitalism economic system which is pillared and core based on free trade trading. America never stopped convincing other country to join the free trade pact by saying that the pact will bring nothing but benefits to the joined country. Exactly as conveyed in the picture above the man tried to flirts and lured the lady in blue to agrees on the free trade pact which he is holding in his hand inside the love symbol.

         Metaphorically I see in the picture the pact was full of lies and hidden agendas. The lady in blue represent European Union which consist over 27 European countries, if America can get them to join the pact, America will have a major economic power and role in the international arena and will also have an enhanced political power globally. America Understand that the free trade system will not only broaden its economic but also brings other benefits such as some sort of invisible powers towards the country that agreed to the free trade.

The Free trade was opposed by many other countries because of the agreement of the free trade pact itself. The cartoon below will explain exactly why free trade were opposed by many countries.

[pic 2]

The American keeps promoting free trade in the name of freedom, which is totally ridiculous especially to the third world country. The free trade pact has many negative impact as conveyed in the picture. One of it are adverse working conditions, As underdeveloped countries that sign up for free trade attempt to cut costs to gain a price advantage, many workers in these countries face low pay, substandard working conditions and even forced labour and abusive child labour. Next, free trade will also cost damage to the environmental, according to critics, the increase of corporate farms in developing countries increases pesticide and energy use, and host countries usually ignore all costly environmental standards in the name of profits. This is what the cartoon try to picture to, and these things are the reason why many other countries are turning their back from the free trade pact. Free trade does not speak freedom but as in the cartoon free trade is the freedom to do as US corporation demanded.

The next cartoon going to show you how free trade and economic globalization have change and influenced your daily life consuming and cultures.

[pic 3] 

                The picture tells us the current reality of the world. Free trade had caused other countries to bring in their product to other country that sign up for the pact. In the cartoon, the man said the car is Japanese , the wine is French, the food is Chinese and the computer is American and yet you say you be against the free trade? That is how it is now in the reality. This is not only caused by the free trade policy but economic globalization.

 In Malaysia now, most of the daily goods were made of in other countries even Malaysia did not advocate free trade totally. If Malaysia were, only god knows of how the economic would be. I bet Malaysians would barely find a Malaysian product in the Malaysia’s market. Free trade will change your culture, the way you wear, lives and sometimes even speak. English is considered the language of the world currently, so to trades with other countries oneself should empowered the language for their own sake.