Case Studies You need the RealVideo™ Player to view the videos, which are desiginated by the video icon (). The player is free, and can be downloaded by clicking the button below. Bono’s Quest Bono in Uganda It doesn’t seem that long ago that the world could be divided into two distinct areas: well-developed, "civilized" nations and far-off lands with mysterious people and indecipherable customs. The events that transpired in these distant regions were as foreign to the western world as what happened on the surface of Mars. The populations of these very different nations were separated by huge oceans, thousands of miles, and vastly different lifestyles and experiences. Although we all shared the planet, it was most definitely the case that there were separate worlds inhabiting this planet. Recent decades have brought extraordinary changes. Countries have arisen from what had been colonies of imperial powers and have taken their place in the community of nations. Revolutionary changes in communication, transportation, and technology have made the world a much more interdependent place. No longer can a clear line be drawn between the "here" of "our " world and the "there" of "their" world. Bono’s message builds on this theme. He argues that the world must collectively face its problems and that new mechanisms must be utilized as the world searches for solutions. The World Trade Organization: The Dark Side of Globalization? WTO Protests The process of globalization has made the world a much smaller place, but with this familiarity comes the prospect of contempt. The simple reality is that close quarters frequently produce conflict. It is true with people sharing a cramped space and it is similarly true with nations sharing a planet that is becoming seemingly smaller every day. Any number of international organizations have arisen to address this reality. In order to facilitate the process of globalization in the realm of economic interaction among nations, the World Trade Organization was established in 1995. The WTO was created to facilitate trade among the nations of the world, to offer a set of rules under which all nations would interact and a means of resolving disputes among nations over issues of trade. Today the World Trade Organization includes almost a hundred and fifty nations. In theory the World Trade Organization would seem to be an entity performing essential tasks, one that every nation on the planet would support. In reality, the WTO has produced extraordinary controversy in its decade of existence. For more on the World Trade Organization, it might be useful to view its website at http://www.wto.org.