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by Cindy Wagner, Managing Editor

Coping with Globalization

Foes of globalization are becoming more vocal and violent, and proponents remain surprisingly silent in support of the more integrated world structure and perspective that globalization promises.

At issue, writes Danish diplomat J. Ørstrøm Møller, is that the growing disparities between the intellectual, wealthy, global-minded elite and the struggling, nationalistic masses of the world will create dire social disruptions in the future. The elite no longer carry a sense of noblesse oblige as the "old wealth" fades and the nouveaux riches, with less social responsibility, come to power. Møller calls for the elite to do a better job of communicating globalization's advantages to the masses and to adopt a worldview that is more cooperative and less mired in Cold War "us vs. them" competitiveness. (See "Wanted: A New Strategy for Globalization" on page 20 of the print edition.)

Another aspect of global society is the trend toward megacities, or the mass centralization of populations. The danger, warns telecommunications expert Joseph N. Pelton, is that this concentration makes more people more vulnerable all at once to terrorist attacks, natural disasters, rapidly spreading infectious diseases, and other threats. The solution, Pelton argues, is to decentralize these megatargets, using communications technologies to create telecities. (See "The Rise of Telecities: Decentralizing the Global Society," page 28.)

This issue also takes a closer look at the future potential of nanofabrication. In the not-too-distant future, says nanotechnology trend watcher Mike Treder, nanoassemblers will allow us to create an assortment of low-cost products. And nanofactories will also be able to build more and more nanofactories, putting the technology into the hands of all consumers everywhere. But among the risks is the unleashing of weapons and surveillance devices, Treder warns. (See "Molecular Nanotech: Benefits and Risks," page 42.) Also, Douglas Mulhall reflects on the paradigm-altering role that nanotechnology is now playing in the field of technology risk assessment. (See "Reassessing Risk Assessment," page 36.)

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