Globalisation is undoubtedly one the hottest issues in the contemporary political and economic debate. But, what is globalisation? Is it good, or bad? Pundits say that globalisation is inevitable, and that being "against" globalisation is like being against the force of gravity. Is it really?

In an essay written for a joint FES–IPS publication, a prominent contemporary thinker, John Ralston Saul, had some really interesting words about the globalisation hype:

"History is pretty clear. There are no philosophical or political inevitabilities. And as the theories of human evolution go, economics is a fairly minor field of speculation. As for globalization, it is perhaps the first broad economic theory to insist that civilization can only function through the prism of economics. [...]

There lays our greatest difficulty in understanding the state of globalization. It is an approach to human relationships which is so utilitarian that it blocks us from the global reality of others. Here is a world theory which, curiously enough, encourages remarkably narrow fields of connection between humans. [...]

I am not suggesting that nothing positive has come out of globalization. I am merely pointing out that a system declared to be inevitable and global is neither. And this is not a good sign, but nor is it a bad sign. It is certainly a sign of a troubled period with an uncertain outcome. [...] Globalization’s failure is that it no longer holds the promise of eventual success for those who feel they suffer from it (emphasis added) [...]." – John Ralston Saul, "Globalization really?", in Globalization Insights, a joint FES–IPS publication, Berlin, May 2005.

Globalization seems to offer humanity both threats and opportunities. Mainstream media has focused mainly on the opportunities, downplaying the threats. While opportunities ought to be recognised and exploited, threats must receive our full attention as well, since those marginalised by globalisation are often the least equipped to make their voices heard.

With roughly 70% of its journalists reporting directly from the countries of the South , IPS has been in a unique position to analyse the impact of globalisation from Southern points of view. Exclusion and exploitation are a big part of the story, but South–South cooperation is an opportunity we are covering too.

IPS editorial policy makes specific reference to ensuring that events and processes are globally contextualised to reach those marginalised by globalisation. A thematic news site Global Chaos / Global Order: Perspectives on an Inter–connected World pulls together the main stories on globalisation, and is complemented by our thematic sites about specific aspects like Economy, Finance and Trade and Migration.

In Africa, a continent often portrayed only as a helpless victim of the process of globalisation, IPS has sought to offer in–depth new perspectives through the Africa – A Globalising Continent thematic site. A three–year project focused on trade relations between Africa and Europe is another way in which the region has contributed to creating awareness about the benefits and risks of opening up the continent to more international trade.

Developing nations are among the fastest–growing, most dynamic economies in the world, with giants China and India leading the way. Growing South–South co–operation is changing the political, economic and diplomatic geography of the planet, and IPS news is tracking the phenomenon. The 2006 IPS Support Group in Rio focused on exactly this issue, and particularly on the IBSA alliance –– India, Brazil and South Africa – of the three biggest democracies of the South.

Brazil, India and South Africa are the first Southern Governments to attend the IPS Core Group meetings . IPS has been instrumental in positioning the issue of communication as a central dimension of the IBSA alliance.

IPS has longstanding relationships with the G77 (that has historically represented the Southern bloc of countries at the United Nations) and the Special Unit for South–South Cooperation of UNDP and has offered communication perspectives to many innovative cooperation efforts.

In 2008 IPS launched the South-South Executive Brief, the newest in the IPS TerraViva family of publications. A monthly print and PDF publication from the UN Bureau in New York, the South-South Executive Brief features news stories, analyses and high-level interviews focusing on increasing bilateral, trilateral, regional and inter-regional relations among developing countries. The newsletter circulates at the highest levels of the UN and among missions and ministries.