"Globalization was a deep trend pushed by technology and right ideas, as much as anything else"

Jeffrey Sachs highlights the profound forces driving globalization, emphasizing that it is not a superficial or temporary phenomenon. He points to technology as a primary catalyst, the advancement of communication systems, transportation networks, and digital infrastructures has fundamentally reshaped how societies interact. These innovations collapsed distance and time, enabling goods, services, information, and people to move with unprecedented speed and efficiency around the globe.

The reference to "the right ideas" illustrates the intellectual underpinnings that made globalization possible and desirable. Economic theories that champion comparative advantage, free trade, and open markets contributed to widespread policy shifts throughout the late 20th century. The convergence of these ideas among policymakers, economists, and business leaders encouraged nations to lower barriers to trade and investment, fostering deeper economic integration. Political movements emerged advocating for openness, cooperation, and interconnectedness, often presenting globalization as a pathway to prosperity and peace.

However, Sachs carefully notes that globalization's momentum was "pushed ... as much as anything else", suggesting a multifaceted phenomenon. While technology and economic ideology were critical, globalization was also shaped by cultural exchanges, migration, and shifting geopolitical realities. The end of the Cold War, for instance, removed many obstacles to global trade and collaboration. Domestic and international institutions, such as the World Trade Organization and regional trade agreements, provided formal frameworks for this integration process.

Thus, globalization’s roots run much deeper than simple political will or economic necessity; it is embedded in the technological and intellectual evolution of modern society. These systemic changes have led to both tremendous opportunities, such as poverty reduction and technological diffusion, and significant challenges, like rising inequality and environmental stress. Sachs’s observation invites further reflection not just on what drove globalization, but on how societies might manage its outcomes, remaining attentive to both its promises and its perils.