Globalization is one of the most defining processes of contemporary world politics. It refers to the increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of states, societies, economies, and cultures across the globe. While it is often understood as a modern phenomenon, globalization has historically unfolded in multiple waves or phases, each shaped by political, economic, and technological transformations. These phases reveal how global interaction has evolved from early forms of trade and conquest to modern forms of financial integration, digital connectivity, and transnational governance. In world politics, each phase of globalization reflects shifts in power structures, international institutions, ideological conflicts, and modes of cooperation. Broadly, globalization can be understood in four major phases: the pre-modern phase, the early modern or colonial phase, the industrial-modern phase, and the contemporary post-Cold War phase. The pre-modern phase of globalization can be traced to ancient civilizations and medieval interactions. While not globalization in the modern sense, this phase laid the foundations of global interconnectedness. The Silk Road, spanning from China to the Mediterranean, enabled the exchange of goods, ideas, and technologies, while also spreading religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam across continents. Maritime trade routes in the Indian Ocean connected Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, creating a network of cultural diffusion and economic interdependence. Empires such as the Roman, Chinese, and Islamic caliphates acted as hubs of early globalization by facilitating movement of people, knowledge, and commodities across vast territories. However, this phase of globalization was largely regional and limited by the technological constraints of transport and communication. Politically, it was marked by empire-building and conquest, where power structures were hierarchical and coercive rather than cooperative. World politics in this stage reflected cultural encounters, religious expansion, and imperial rivalries rather than a structured global order. Yet, it demonstrated the enduring human tendency to cross boundaries, exchange knowledge, and seek material advantage, which later phases expanded dramatically. The second major phase, the early modern or colonial phase of globalization, emerged between the 15th and 18th centuries with the Age of Exploration. European voyages led by Spain, Portugal, Britain, France, and the Netherlands created the first truly global networks of trade and conquest. The discovery of the Americas and the establishment of colonies marked a profound transformation in world politics. Globalization in this era was driven by mercantilist policies, where European powers sought to accumulate wealth through trade monopolies, resource extraction, and the control of sea routes. The transatlantic slave trade became one of the darkest aspects of this globalization, forcibly linking Africa, Europe, and the Americas in an exploitative triangle of commerce. The diffusion of crops, animals, and technologies across continents, known as the Columbian Exchange, altered global demographics and economies. Politically, this period institutionalized colonial domination and created a Eurocentric international order. Global politics revolved around imperial rivalry, naval supremacy, and colonial administration. Non-European societies were integrated into the world economy largely through coercion