Best effects pedal to use for playing multi-cultural music?

[Gearmond]

depends on the culture

mexi/afropop stuff: get yerself a sparkly chorus and a strat. pop that selector in the middle position and plink away
middle eastern/ toureg: wah and phase
japanese: just play by the bridge, really
indian: its about how you play, not what you play through

tbh most ethnic music involving guitar doesn't really use effects much, unless its on one of those "psychadelia from *insert country here*" comps, which imo aren't so much ethnic as music-of-a-style-from-X-country. and aside from timbre, sounding "ethnic" is generally all about rhythmic or melodic sensibilities more than effects.