I. Introduction:
Challenges to Statesmen Face to Face with Globalization

 

It is a pleasure to come back to the Colegio de Mexico, one of the most creative centers of Latin-American thought, where I have so often received a generous welcome and always encountered intellectual stimulus for debate and research. I meet again with long-time friends and, above all, recall the excellent moments of companionship and friendship which academic life here had provided to me.

I am going to deal with a theme which has come to be definitively incorporated into the agenda of all contemporary governments: the Globalization of the economy and the risks and opportunities which result from this. In countries such as Brazil and Mexico, to reflect upon the implications of this phenomenon, both from the external and domestic viewpoints, is more than a mere intellectual challenge; it is rather a vital necessity.

I do not intend here to address this issue with the rigor of a man of science, among other reasons because in everything I have read about Globalization, I perceive that there is as yet a lack of a "unifying theory" to explain in depth the genesis of the changes and the course of the rapid developments underway in contemporary economic reality. Academia, it appears to me, is still in the process of mapping and understanding the set of events which are changing the lives of nations at a heretofore unimaginable speed.

But the timing and motivations of the Politician are essentially different from those of the Social Scientist. The Politician cannot wait for the sedimentation of knowledge in order to act. Should he do so he will be overcome by events. We have today but one certainty, and that is of the vast scope and depth of change _ and this haunts and vexes us — in the awareness of the complexity of the challenges we must face.

The truth is that, irrespective of the theoretical gaps which exist, enough is already known about Globalization for us to perceive within a reasonable perspective where the probable course of Globalization will lead and in what fields we can act to mitigate some of its more pernicious effects, and at the same time, to exploit the full potential of the advantages which are arising so that, in the coming years, we can make great strides towards prosperity with greater social justice.

Globalization, in its various manifestations, has become an unavoidable component in the decisions of Governments, conditioning both choices at the national level and actions abroad.

This, however, in no way detracts from the fact that one of the most important missions of contemporary political action is to ensure that development will be guided by values, in accordance with which economic gains only have significance if they bring greater well-being to the majority of citizens. Thus, starting from this premise, we must find the means and instruments needed to lead the effort to integrate our countries into the new standards of productivity and competitiveness, the only way to achieve the necessary sustainable economic growth in a globalized economy.

This is the main focus which I intend to give to this conference. I have sought to ponder some of the social consequences of Globalization, especially those relating to the risks of increasing inequality, in each country and on the international level, and also the rise of the so-called structural unemployment.