It is one of the ironies of our time that the very process that is tying the world's disparate peoples together is at the same time generating friction between them. Globalization may be spinning a vast web of relationships as it builds a single world market, but as it does so, citizens are accentuating the cultural and social differences that distinguish them from others.
It is perfectly understandable that people react in fear and cling more tightly to the past when confronted by historical and technological forces that threaten their identity. It is also futile.
Globalization is inevitable. The world will continue to compress. The future will remain unknowable. Worse, the pace of change will accelerate.