Thailand and The Green Revolution

According to The New York Times, the "green revolution" of the 1940's and 50's in Mexico, made its way to Asia in the 1960's.  The father of the green revolution, Norman Borlang , created bio-genetically altered strains of rice, corn, and wheat that would prosper in different harsh climates around the world.  Upon the success in Mexico, the scientist turned his attention to the hunger issues in Asia.  Famine was wreaking havoc on the continent and Borlang decided to attempt his experiment in Southeast Asia.  The staple crop of the region was rice.  Borlang again used his scientific approach to produce record numbers of rice in the region.  The new farming techniques replaced  the traditional smallholders, or family farms.  Large scale industrial farming practices were implemented with the clearing of large plots of land and practice of using chemical fertilizers and pesticides to grow the rice.  From 1961 to 1995, the amount of large farms increased from 6.5 million hectares to 11.5 million hectares.  The tonnage of cereal produced increased from 10.8 million tons to 31.5 million tons.  This made Thailand the number one producer of rice in the world.

This photo is of large scale mono-culture rice farming in Thailand.  These practices are harming the environment on the country which had already faced a water shortage in the past.

The negative aspects are the environmental concerns of the over use of chemicals that leech into the fresh water supplies and the usage of watersheds to irrigate the large farms. Sociologically, there has been a dramatic effect on the "smallholder", or family, farms.  The new agricultural ideals have separated the traditional farming practices and the more successful farmers in the region.  Only the more wealthy can afford the farming machinery necessary and the more expensive seeds and chemical fertilizers needed to continue this type of farming.  According to The Climate Spectator, a world environmental watchdog publication, "over the last 20 years the contribution of agriculture in Thailand to the national economy has dipped from 25 percent to less than 10 percent."  The yield of production has declined due to the amount of arable land able to be farmed has decreased due to pollution of the soil and the salinization of the farmland in the region.  Many farmers are reverting to the more traditional farming techniques of the old days, producing many different crops in small farms to satisfy the needs of a small few people in stead of the mono-culture farming practices of the green revolution.

This photograph is of a banana plantation, many of which have disappeared due to the demands for farmland necessary for large scale mono-culture farms.

 Morrissey, Lily. "Thailand's New Green Revolution." Business Spectator. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. 

Rowntree, Lester. Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2014. Print.

  Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjimGA5c0aj1Q3wM_PJIg9oTx4F5FpvU790IUqs5gELMuPcydaMbjQMjweuxCwVGtAurTleSvX6aCQopq3m4VYpflJvdxMtELGL8tmWRS5rGr_d5TorLKUr51v263mFAn8XdqE1HfLQ4vwyqOBqOA=

 Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEizCwzGLBaHtJDJmZOOcJJav5xy0ST-t-AqJsBPWaIGYS5rbqCUwWkeaVQalN88uZEbu59VW7ffipV3dHPtTifOMSmzFRGa_zi6Rlb74Z4qfIqNKnLuZXOPXO6Bs_rEmrdz0_R56Wx8lnmUOcc33NhVKxiNQ3jLW4J27VQXK4_XcIA=,1326639378,1/stock-photo-banana-plantation-in-the-province-of-montenegro-colombia-symbol-of-the-g>.

Cultural Imperialism

Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting a stronger culture over a weaker or less desirable culture.  Usually, the more powerful culture is larger, either economically or militarily, while the lesser culture is much smaller and less powerful.  Throughout history, cultural imperialism has most frequently been practiced by Western nations.  The term is frequently used by postcolonialists when describing the era of proliferation of Western ideals and their domination over those of lesser nations, such as India and Africa.
The more modern definition refers to the acculturation of a population, either by force or voluntary embrace.  The voluntary acceptance of foreign culture can most easily be seen in the rapid spread of American culture.  The United States, while not the only modern cultural imperialists, remain one of the strongest due to their high global economic and political standing.  The spread of American values, including democracy, equality, and human rights, is met with mixed reactions, both positive and negative.  While many people think that these ideals are beneficial and should become universal, others believe that the widespread acceptance of American culture will damage the local cultures and lead to cultural uniformity.

McDonalds in Thailand

Thailand, among many other countries, has not remained unchanged by cultural imperialism.  In the 20th century, Thai women slowly began to be treated as equally as men.  They were encouraged to receive an education, whereas before they were not encouraged to learn to read, write, or do anything besides household chores and raising children.  Before the adoption of the Western value emphasizing sexual equality, Thai men were expected to have several wives at a time while Thai women were never expected to have more than one husband in a lifetime.  As women were encouraged to receive an education and work jobs, it became more accepted for a man to have only one wife at a time.  A woman's divorce and remarriage is also seen with less scorn.

  Web. 28 Nov. 2014. <http://www.bangkokblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/bangkok-rain-              012.jpg>.

"Cultural Imperialism- Mass Communication Context." Cultural Imperialism- Mass Communication Context. Web. 28 Nov. 2014. <http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/mass/imperialism.htm>.

"Cultural Imperialism." Princeton University. Web. 28 Nov. 2014. <https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Cultural_imperialism.html>.

Rowntree, Lester. Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2014. Print.

"Western Influences on Thai Culture." Western Influences on Thai Culture. Web. 28 Nov. 2014. <http://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/thai_article/1923_western_influence/western_influence.html>.

Population in Thailand

Population Comparison

According to the text book Globalization and Diversity, the key issues are vastly different rates of natural growth, population migration, and urbanization.  Thailand and the United States vary greatly in population statistics.  For example, population of Thailand is sixty-seven million vs the USA having 317 million.  This population number ranks Thailand at 20th in the world.  However, it is only the 51st largest country, while the United States is the 3rd largest.  

The total population of Thailand was recorded as 67 million people in 2013.  Thailand’s total population in 1960 was 27.4 million. The population increased by 145 percent within 50 years. Thailand is at its all-time high at 67 million.  The United States population was recently recorded at 317.3 million people in 2013.  In 1950, the United States Census Bureau recorded the country's population at around 151 million people.  The United States population increased by 47 percent within the past fifty years.  The definition of total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born from a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with current age-specific fertility rates.  Thailand’s fertility rate in 2013 was 1.44 to every woman, while the United States has a rate of 1.88 to every women.   

Thailand Population Pyramid 

Thailand and the United States vary in population and fertility rates. Both have dramatically changed in the past fifty years.  After reviewing both countries' statistics, they have common areas and some that differ vastly.  


 "Thailand Age Structure." Web. 19 Nov. 2014. < http://www.indexmundi.com/thailand/age_structure.html>.


Rowntree, Lester. Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2014. Print.

Globalization and Terrorism

Global Terrorism

According to the textbook Globalization and Diversity, the definition of globalization is “the increasing interconnected of people and places through converging economic, political, and cultural activities.”  The book continues by stating that "distant regions and cultures are now linked through commerce, communication, and travel.”  Geo-politically, with the addition of the United Nations after World War II, the structures of international governments are those of expanding boundaries and increasing economic cooperation regarding trade and commerce.  The resulting open door policies have made acts of terrorism and corruption more prevalent around the world.  This development has resulted in a more hands on approach to the “policing of the world” than ever before.  

Red-Light District in Thailand

Thailand is a strong ally with the United States and the U.N. when dealing with transnational terrorist groups, especially separatist groups located in Southern Thailand.  Thailand has worked alongside the U.S. Department of State Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA) to fight the spread of extremist groups. The plight facing Thailand is the global industries of  prostitution and sex-trade.  These two black eyes cannot be denied on the travel industry in Thailand.  Prostitution remains the country's top source of illegal activity, followed by drugs and political corruption.  Thailand's main drug transmitter is the Golden Triangle, one of Asia's two main opium-producing areas.  Prostitution is illegal in the country, but this does not slow the exploitation of the country's citizens.  Much of this crime centers around urban areas frequented by tourists, including cities such as Bangkok and Phuket.  Thailand remains one of the world epicenters for prostitution, the exploitation of children, and human trafficking.  

Rowntree, Lester. Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2014. Print.

"100 Countries and Their Prostitution Policies - Legal Prostitution - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines.  Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://prostitution.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000772>.