Undeveloped Countries and the USA - Essay Example

?Undeveloped Countries Question A number of underdeveloped countries align themselves with one of the three major powers because of ideology. Thisis true of socialist states, for example, Cuba maintains links with Russia even after the fall of the Soviet empire. Some underdeveloped countries garner the support of a superpower as a guarantee of strength and backup in areas with the potential for conflict. The case of India and Pakistan is interesting in this respect because of a post-colonial situation where the countries in question were partitioned and unable to agree about the boundaries between them. Pakistan maintains close relations with the United States, and India’s differences with Pakistan pushed India into closer relations with Russia, to the point where Russia has become “the centrepiece of India’s global security strategy” (Sieff: 2009, p. 183). In the new millennium, these old ties are still there but the rising economic power of China provides new possibilities for developing trade alliances. The presence of this new trading partner breaks up the old Russia/America choice, and allows India to engage with all three in selective ways, choosing a way that suits India’s own purposes. Less powerful countries, such as many in Africa, are poor in resources and this pushes them into dependence on aid and trade with the superpowers. Some analysts argue that American debt problems and financial instability are likely to result in a shift in the superpower of choice for many smaller states towards the rising giant of China and away from America (Garrett, 2010). References Garrett, G. (2010) G2 in G20: China, the United States and the world after the Global Financial Crisis. Global Policy 1 (1), 29-39. Sieff, M. (2009) Shifting Superpowers: The New and Emerging Relationship between the United States, China and India. Washington D.C.: Cato Institute. Question 2 Dictators across the world tend to exhibit common traits such as a high dependence on the military instead of state-led institutions, nepotism and favouritism with an elite inner circle, paranoia, especially in terms of personal security and a tendency to react with extreme brutality when faced with opposition or perceived threats both internally and from abroad. In Africa Libyan dictator Qaddafi is a contemporary example of these traits, and has been characterized by suppression of any dissent within his country and state-sponsored terrorism against Western capitalist democracies which he perceives as a threat both ideologically and economically. Qaddafi proves that this kind of dictatorship can be stable, but problems arise when potential successors jostle for position (Bratton and van de Walle, 1997, pp. 61-65). In the Middle East, the sultans and monarchs retain the oil-based wealth of their nations for personal use, and run state institutions like a family business. For example, in Saudi Arabia Abdallah bin Abd al-Azis Al Saud has been both king and head of government since 2005. In Asia Kim Jong-Il of North Korea runs an extremely repressive regime which controls the people with a strong military style government. Nuclear tests and shows of strength are designed to intimidate more peaceful neighbors like South Korea. The country is also held back because too much of its scarce production is diverted to sustaining the military. In Eastern Europe, the old Soviet system had undermined democracy and allowed a large number of dictators to emerge including Nicolae Ceausescu in Romania and Slobodan Milosevic in the former Yugoslavia. When the Soviet system collapsed, they intensified their grip with genocide and oppression, the typical reaction of a dictator under pressure. References Bratton, M. and van de Walle, N. 1997. Democratic Experiments in Africa: Regime Transitions in Comparative Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Brooker, P. (1995) Twentieth-Century Dictatorships: Communist and Middle-Eastern Dictatorships in a Democratic Age. Basingstoke: MacMillan. Question 3 Some third world countries have done quite well in raising the standards of living of their people and creating more a more stable national economy and fairer distribution of wealth, e.g. Colombia, Thailand, India and Brazil. In Colombia, there has been a gradual diversification away from coffee and into other goods and trade rules have been relaxed to allow a better flow of goods in and out of the country. This has stimulated the economy and looks likely to give more economic stability in the future which in turn will foster steady development. Destabilizing influences like the drug trade and organized crime are being addressed, encouraging more investment from outside the country. In Thailand there has been political reform, and a focus on tourism and sustainability has brought economic rewards. Low wage costs are an incentive for western nations to locate manufacturing industries in Thailand. India and Brazil have modernized many industries and now have huge urban areas which generate significant wealth for the nation. They are also addressing infrastructure problems to enable a more equal distribution. Both India and Brazil have also stepped up to greater roles in international relations through the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) constellation: a sign that they are likely to engage more positively with other nations and grasp new development opportunities. They are free of former colonial influence now and are setting their own agendas in alliances of their own choosing. These five nations still have a host of challenges including a vulnerability in terms of natural disasters and inadequate disaster relief systems, corruption in government, and problems arising from the increasing globalization of organized crime. Increased international collaboration and more robust governance are, however, beginning to address these areas. References Roberts, C. (2010) Polity Forum: Challengers or Stakeholders? BRICS and the Liberal World Order. Polity 42 (1), 1-13 Question 4 It is difficult to generalize the role of women in all underdeveloped countries because there are many factors e.g. religion, culture and history. Two common issues are the concentration of women’s labor in domestic areas and the prevalence of patriarchal systems. Both of these combine to ensure that women and girls are excluded from many potential benefits. Activities such as the provision of water and firewood and the gathering and preparation of food are time-consuming in underdeveloped countries and largely carried out by women and children, while higher status activities such as legal and political decision-making, and wealth earning tend to be reserved for men. Women’s lower status means that they receive fewer health benefits and are more likely to die from endemic illnesses and diseases. In some cases, the desire for male children is so great that female babies are aborted or neglected and this results in an imbalance in the ratio of males to female in the populations. On the other hand, patriarchal systems generally ensure that women are protected from some of the more dangerous activities in society such as military action and high risk occupations like mining, policing and hunting. Women in underdeveloped countries often find themselves bearing too many children, because there is no welfare system for old age, and children are seen as a form of support during their elderly years. This often creates a vicious cycle of increasing poverty and hunger because the more children within a family, the more difficult it is to provide for them in the short term. The need to feed and clothe these children keeps women occupied in activities that do not bring any form of wealth. This gives them low status, and almost no buying power or influence in society. Their education also takes place less often in schools and more often in informal ways through the family. Lack of education encourages fatalism and an acceptance of the status quo, along with an inability to make any other choices. Patriarchal systems are common. In many developing countries, women are not allowed to own property or businesses, and are subject to the authority of fathers, husbands and brothers rather than being able to make their own decisions. On the other hand, it has been shown that investment in programs which involve women, for example in micro-financing or in health and education initiatives, often bring long lasting and extensive benefits. This indicates that women have untapped potential that developing countries are beginning to access. These initiatives work best when local customs are well understood, and control methods fit in with religious and other rules (Seibel, 2008). Women are crucial to long term embedding of economic changes because they regulate the daily activities of families and provide stability for the workforce. Their role as agents of cultural change is also important. Since they teach the young, the education of women is rightly regarded as a pressing priority in underdeveloped countries (Kabeer, 2005). Women face far more obstacles than men in terms of mobility and access to modern technology and this means that even in countries which are making good progress towards development goals, women are too often disproportionately left behind. References Kabeer, N. (2005) Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: A Critical Analysis of the Third Millennium Development Goals. Gender and Development, vol. 13, no.1, pp. 13-24. Seibel, H. D. ( 2008) Islamic Microfinance in Indonesia: The Challenge of Institutional Diversity, Regulation, and Supervision. SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, Vol. 23 Issue 1, p86-103 Read More