Political Science

I. Introduction
The novel, World on Fire by  Amy Chua examines the impact of free markets in the in the non-Western world. The  novel presents Chuas thesis that the effects of free market democracy  is not aiming at promoting peace unlike what the Thomas Friedman conception says. The book posits the knowledge that exporting free markets and democracy will cause the meltdown of peace and prosperity across the developing world.

She critically evaluates the factors which turns free market democracy as a source of ethnic and political conflict across the region. The themes of the novel includes the proliferation the so-called market-dominant minorities, ethnic violence, globalization, and the backlash of free market policies. The novel validates the concept that the market dominant minorities control a portion of a nations wealth and resources which causes socio-political outbreak in the impoverished and ethnic minorities.

II.  Summary
The World on Fire opposes the Friedman concept that tells of free markets as the contributing factor to peace and progress. According to Chua, the disturbing backlash of the massive economic dominance of the outsider market dominant minorities fuels virulent ethnic envy and hatred among the poor and socially disadvantaged majorities around them (Chua 2003). 

One of the main attributes intensifying the dominance of such outsider minorities is the global market which places the United States at the top notch level. The novel stresses the fact that America is at the helm of the accelerating phase of globalization and has become the main influence for the proliferation of market dominant minorities (Chua 2003). 

In support of her notion that the dominance of free markets can lead to political instability, Chua examines the economic setting in Burma. According to the novel, since Burma shifted to a market-oriented, open-door economy, both the countrys modern capital and Mandalay have been taken over by the ethnic Chinese who were  disproportionately wealthy during the colonial period  (Chua, 2003, p. 24). Since then, the  Chinese have remained active in Burmas black markets and, in a few cases, opium trafficking  (Chua, 2003, p. 24). 

According to Chua, the Burmese way of capitalism and marketization have given many opportunities for corrupt government officials and have provided no benefits to the indigenous population (Chua 2003). This confirms the notion that free markets do not spread wealth and economic opportunities evenly in a certain nation but instead, it produces a new class of extremely wealthy plutocrats or the individuals who are as rich as the nations (Chua 2003).

Chua says that in the non-Western world,  free markets have led to the rapid accumulation of massive, often shocking wealth by members of the outsider or the non-indigenous ethnic minority  (Chua, 2003, p. 19).  This scenario has a major impact to the social dynamics of the indigenous people who are the unwilling victims of the backlash of free trade markets. For some, free trade has rendered many opportunities for businessmen to expand their market reach and to create a kingdom in the non-Western world, but for some developing nations, the free trade robs them the right to partake in their countries earnings.

Unknown to many, the indigenous people from the non-Western world including the South and South East Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and much of the Latin America, have been suffering from this economic phenomenon (Chua 2003). The Chinese Indonesians, even though they make up only 3 percent of Indonesias total population, controlled roughly 70 percent of Indonesias private economy and they  had fine food and clothing  (Chua, 2003, p. 31).

In this case, the dominance of the market minorities causes the envy of the indigenous people who cannot even have the access to their countrys wealth and resources. Some civilians often turn to violence such as kidnapping and murder in order to satisfy their need for equality while at the political level, government officials tend to take advantage of the free trade marketers by taking part in the wealth and through illegal transactions. It appears like the non-Western world has become the milking cow of the market dominant minorities inspired by the global power of the United States.

III. Critical Commentary
Chuas anti-Friedman musing on the political and social implications of free trade democracy in the non-Western world shows the gruesome fact that wealth translates to crime.  Drawing insights from Chuas examples, it can be said that the market dominant minorities have become targets of violent hatred of the impoverished societies due to the fact that such wealthy plutocrats are robbing the socially disadvantaged people of the right to obtain the benefits of free trade. Also, the creation of aggressive policies which tend to neglect the rights of the indigenous people ignite peoples anger.

The so-called wealthy plutocrats have led to the feeling of discontent and envy among the ethnic groups and have opened the idea of greed in the political system. The social and political breakdown caused by the free trade markets is best seen through the phenomena of Arab-Israeli ethnic conflict and the rising wave of anti-Americanism sentiments across the globe.

Chua argues that  in the numerous countries around the world that have pervasive poverty and a market-dominant minority, democracy and markets-at least in the form in which they are currently being promoted-can proceed only in deep tension with each other  (Chua, 2003, p. 16). One of the contributing factors to this tension is the establishment of free market policies which have worked greatly to the advantage of the market-dominant minorities and left the impoverished societies with no opportunities to gain something out of wealth of the outsider minorities.

The free market-policies adopted by Suharto in Indonesia caused democracy protests and riots (Chua 2003). The political instability in Indonesia during Suhartos regime was attributed to  ruthless repression, corruption, and the self-enrichment of a small military and political elite  (Cohen, 2003, p. 283).  It is noted that Suharto is a pro-Western strategist who continually takes pride in his anti-nationalistic free market policies that led to the murder of  half a million Chinese and Indonesians (Cohen 2003).

In this sense, free market democracy can have negative effects to the non-Western world because of their reliance to international trade and vulnerability for the socio-political effects of trade. According to a major study by the US State Failure Task Force, the  likelihood of state failure is affected by international influences, including openness to trade and membership of international organizations  (Dodds and Pippard, 2005, p. 98).  Free trade opens up many possibilities of how a certain foreign empire can gain something from the land of the indigenous people and encourages how that land can be free traders slave.

Chua says that the free trade democracy in the face of the pervasive Filipino poverty and disproportionate Chinese prosperity led to powerful anti-market, anti-Chinese movements  (Chua, 2003, p. 154).  In this case, the author reveals that the democratization of of free markets has catalyzed ethnic violence. The current setting in the Philippines is a picture of conflict between Chinese business tycoons. There have been kidnappings of the prominent Chinese businessmen as well as killings of their relatives which, according to  Chua, are the results of hatred and envy of the Filipinos against the rich and wealthy Chinese.

The research implies that the lethal violence and political instability instigated by free trade democracy weaken the ties of the non-Western world with the international community. The non-Western world without the support of the regional clubs and organizations is likely to suffer the consequences of state failure and isolation. With this information, it can be said that Chua is reflecting on the sociological and psychological implications of free trade.

Given that Chinese have been stigmatized as rich and business wise, Filipinos resort to violence in pursuit of their needs to gain take part in the wealth of the Chinese. Consequently, the Chinese are becoming more aware of the tendency of the Filipinos to spur violence against them. It is now reported that the Chinese have been on a pursuit to safeguard themselves from violence and uncertainties. The Chinese have sought the government for any policies and initiatives that may protect them from any forms of violence and inhumanities.

This act by the Chinese fuel the anguish of the Filipinos who believe that such act is a form of allegiance to the wealthy businessmen of different race. Filipinos encourage the idea that the policies directed to protect the Chinese wealth may a negligence on their part and a violation of their rights to utilize the countrys resources.

The novel also describes America as the global market dominant minority. In this sense, the spread of the American-led markets, supported by the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and the World Trade Organization have been empowering the wealth and dominance of the United States. According to Chua, the United States today has become the worlds market dominant minority (Chua 2003). In addition, Chua says that the country is technically powerful and an industrial power yielding an annual GDP of 9 trillion (Chua 2003). 

As the United States maintains its status as the most powerful globalized nation and industry leader, anti-Americanism sentiments of those who are envious of the nations power are rising. It is noted that the  real United States haters are those whose anti-Americanism is provoked by dislike of Americas values, institutions, and society-and their enormous impact abroad  (Wittkopf  McCormick, 2004, p. 37).

According to some of Americas detractors,  the most eloquent spokesman is Bin Laden, for whom America and the globalization it promotes relentlessly through free trade and institutions under its control represent evil  ( Wittkopf  McCormick, 2004, p. 37).  For the Islamic world, the American-fueled globalization and free trade dominance is the triumph of the Westernized mass culture and tradition and a complete negligence to the remaining ethnic cultures. It is said that those who attack specific American policies  envy the qualities and institutions  that have helped the United States grow rich, powerful and influential  (Wittkopf  McCormick, 2004, p. 37).

IV. Conclusion
The authors critical evaluation of how the West imposed economic liberalization and free market democracy posits the unfavorable impact of globalization in terms of politics and society. Chua points out that markets and liberalization are not the problem, but it is the unreadiness of free trade policies to comply with the demands of the indigenous people. In rushing the process of free trade, politics and the impoverished communities are being compromised in the pursuit of wealth and economic expansion of the market-dominant minorities.

The rapid changes in free trade policies have worsened the conditions in the non-Western world. The economic conflict between the rich and the poor and between the market-dominant minorities and the indigenous majorities, have led to social inequalities that often lead to violence.  This scenario necessitates a fair and socially productive reform in free  trade policies.