Global Migration

During the Cold War, leaders all over the globe agreed to classify the world into three (3) categories:
First World refers to states which have high-income and are capital-rich; Second World refers to the
former communist-socialist, industrial states; and Third World refers to nations not aligned with either
the First World or Second World which are also called "developing" countries.
The aftermath of the Cold War ended the bipolarity of the world's hegemonic powers which were held
by the Western Bloc (United States, its NATO allies, and others) and the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet
Union and its satellite states). This left the United States as the sole remaining super power of the
world. By 1989, US had military alliances with 50 countries therefore bringing to life the American
era. As a superpower, US relied on its strong democracy and capitalist market to promote free market
capitalism and further emphasize its global power. However, its success in promoting such market led
to the dispersal of power to several other countries.
After a decade, Fareed Zakaria (2008) refers to this as the post- American world which is illustrated
by the diffusion of power from states to other actors. This diffusion of power signals the "rise of the
rest" which gives other states the power to play roles in the world's economic and political arena. In
connection with this, Huntington (1996) claims that Asian nations are expanding their economic,
political, and military strength as a way to show the power they can be capable to hold in the world.
Thus, the American era which includes the post-American world refers to a period power imbalance.
The classification of countries into three was changed into two: developed and developing. Developed
countries are countries that have progressive economies and advanced technological infrastructures
while developing countries are low-income countries with less developed industrial bases. These two
types of countries emerged to highlight the economic inequalities of states. Such inequalities pushes
people living in developing countries to seek better opportunities in developed countries or sometimes,
motivates them to just move from one country to another to attain the ways of living they are aspiring
for. This ongoing movement of people from one country to another is called migration.
As physical and human geographies develop, the world is becoming connected. Connectedness of
nations, ethnicities, and states is the new trend in the international arena. Civilizations become global
civilizations. Through the rising Global Civilizations, the world has turned into s multipolar power. In
the words of Samuel Huntington, he argues;
The rivalry of the superpowers is replaced by the clash of civilizations. In this new world, the most
pervasive, important, and dangerous conflicts will not be between social classes, rich and poor, or
other economically defined groups, but between peoples belonging to different cultural entities.
According to Huntington, global civilizations are divided into the following categories: Western, Latin
American; Islamic; Sinic; Hindu; Buddhist; Orthodox; Japanese; and African. At present, people from
these global civilizations constantly move from one place to another just to achieve economic stability,
democratic freedom, and holistically good life that their home countries might not be able to offer.
According to Heywood (2011), cosmopolitanism literally means the adherence or belief in the world
state, It is the ideology that all human beings belong to a single community. As a concept that can be
linked to globalization, it began its journey when the world moved towards a single moral community
from simply believing that the world could be governed by one state. In the analysis of Pogge (2008),
he identifies three (3) elements of this concept individualism, universality, and generality.
In individualism, cosmopolitanism believes that a human being is the ultimate unit of moral concern;
second, the element of universality wherein he asserts that all human beings are of equal moral worth;
and lastly, the concept acknowledges the element of generality which implies that human beings have
necessary concern for each other (Pogge, 2008). Thus, understanding the concept of cosmopolitanism
requires an in-depth understanding of the role of moral integrity among people. Through this concept,
the global city in globalization has come into existence. However, some critics say that it is impossible
to transcend moral and cultural aspects of societies on an international level. Migration can be linked
to cosmopolitanism in the way that it enables people to agree on a common oral standard which is
influenced by how different cultures come in contact with one another as people move from one place
to another.
There are two types of migration-internal and international 5duon. Internal migration is any
movement from one place to another e same country. On the other hand, international migration is a
movement from one country to another.
From the rise of the very first civilizations, many scholars believe that social inequality, economic
depression, and freedom deprivation are the factors why people move from one place to another.
These factors are the reasons why cosmopolitan ideas exist. They occur at present and since the
concept of cosmopolitanism adheres to the equality and moral integrity among men, it plays a role
in why people migrate. It is clear that migration is and will always be a trend. Some experts say
that migration also has its own catalysts for it fuels the population growth of a region or a country
internal migration is also known as local migration and has always been driven by economic
sustainability.
In the midst of globalization, nations around the world engage in trade to promote and strengthen
relationships among them. There is no global government that could govern all nations. According
to Henry Nau (2009), transnational relations exist in the present world because countries trade
with one another, and populations move across state boundaries.
Due to transnational relations and the growing demand for economic wealth, migration exists. It
is defined as the form of social behavior that both shapes and is shaped by broader social and
economic structures and processes of transformation (International Migration Institute, 2011). In
the definition of Boswell (2002), however, migration is not only rooted in economic aspirations
but also in political motivations. This is because some people are being oppressed by their
governments and want to be free from tyrannical politicians, For centuries, this trend has been
existent because of the necessity to explore and gain natural resources. At present, global migration
is a unique concept.
To better understand the concept of global migration, three (3) categories of this trend were
created: voluntary economic migration, forced displacement, and refugee crisis. Voluntary
economic migration is rooted is the pursuit of economic stability. It is usually seen in the condition
of People in the global south such as in the regions of Asia and Africa. People from these regions
move to other countries which have steadily growing labor markets and can provide them high
salaries. This kind of migration in illustrated by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). The second
and third categories, on the other hand, refer to how people are forced to migrate. According to
Boswell (2002), forced displacement and the refugee crisis could be traced to the factors of state
tyranny or corruption or the fear of violence such as civil war.
There are several effects of migration in a particular country. There are different scenarios and
different factors why people migrate. Migration plays a vital role in the social, economic, and
political aspects of the Philippines. With the country reliant on labor export, OFWs are seen to be
major economic drivers of the country. They affect the economic sustainability of the country
through their remittances. In addition, this is also the reason why the country's foreign policy
focuses on labor export. Another effect of migration in the Philippines is the brain drain. In 2009,
the Philippine Institute of Development Studies found out that fifty percent of employed Filipino
emigrants have tertiary education and only 14.5 percent of them are managers and professionals,
26.6 percent of them are working as technicians and clerks, and the rest are operators known as
service workers (Zosa & Obeta, 2009)