What do you know about the world?

[Viking]

Please ask yourselves the following questions and see how much you know. The poor nations (mostly in Africa and South Asia) are suffering immensely and we have to understand why. Are we "intellectually inferior" as some bigots claim? Is it because of the corrupt regimes as most occidentals claim? Is there ONE clear-cut reason for our demise or is it a multi-faceted problem?

 

 

1) What do you know about GLOBALISATION ? Do you think it is good, if so, why? Do you know what effect globalisation has on the environment?

 

 

2) What do you know about the IMF and the WORLD BANK? Do you think they are there to help the poor nations to "develop" or do you simply think that they are proxies of the US govt?

 

3) What do you know about WTO and world trade in general? Do you know why the people were protesting in Seattle, Doha, Genoa and Cancun? Do you know about the "Quad" that decide what goes down at the WTO?

 

4) What do you know about the UN SECURITY COUNCIL?

 

 

5) Do you know what CASH-CROPS are and why the poor nations are forced to export them?

 

6) Are you aware the most poor nations (incl almost ALL African nations) are in over their head with DEBT? Do you know why they can't pay back the debt? Do you know what effects these debts have had on their economy?

 

7) Did you know that S Korea was poorer than Sudan at the end of the Korean war?

 

8) Do you know what measures USA, S Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Great Britain etc. took in terms of trade in order to get wealthy? Did you know that they did exactly the opposite of what the IMF, World Bank and WTO are telling poor countries to do today?

 

9) Did you know that African countries were much better off economically in 1980 than they are today?

 

10) Do you know that wealthier nations make more money on products that come from Africa i.e. tea, coffee, cocoa etc than the people who produce them? Did you know that the USA and EU impose "escalating tariffs" on these products? (this means that the product is allowed free in their countries [unprocessed] but they are taxed the more processed they are. Therefore the African nations are forced to sell i.e. coffee as beans while the USA and EU make most of the profit through processing these products)

 

11) The wealthier western countries tell us that the only way to prosper is through "democracy", multi-party political systems, privatisation, removing tariffs etc. Why are the Chinese currently prospering immensely without following these directives?

 

 

Apart from establishing a functioning govt, abandoning clanism and living together in peace and harmony, what can Somalis in Somalia do in the future to become a prosperous people? Some will quickly answer "education" but we all know that resources (to facilitate this) don't come out of thin air. We need to know how a nation can become prosperous in this dog-eat-dog world and that success is not simply achieved by becoming ideological allies of the western nations as most of our "intellectuals" think.

 

 

Peace.

[Valenteenah.]

Viking,

 

Amazingly, you have listed every single module I took in Uni. I have an insane urge to post all my old essays by way of answer. But I shall resist.

 

Fantastic topic. Am actually looking forward to reading people's responses to the questions.

[N.O.R.F]

Interesting questions,,,,

 

When relating this to a Somali politician he would probably not know what most of the terms (if not all) are. Imagine a country's politicians not knowing about these issues and leading us to the 'promised land' of debt

 

2) What do you know about the IMF and the WORLD BANK? Do you think they are there to help the poor nations to "develop" or do you simply think that they are proxies of the US govt?

The International Monetary Fund/World Bank will 'invest' money into countries that fall into its required criteria. Re-payment terms are such that in most cases the countries will never come out of debt as interest rates are variable and never fixed. So you never know what exactly you will be paying back :confused: .

 

i shall come to this

[Wiilo]

Global Facts

 

By July 2005, the world will have 6.5 billion inhabitants, 380 million more than in 2000 — for an increase of 76 million people annually.

United Nations Population Division

 

In 2003, China had 24 million motor vehicles — one-tenth of the 226 million cars on U.S. roads.

Earth Policy Institute

 

More Factsheets from The Globalist:

 

Economy and Globalization

 

Health and Globalization

 

Environment and Globalization

 

Society and Globalization

 

Women and Globalization

 

Migration and Globalization

 

 

About 95% of India's children enroll in primary school — but by the age of 10, 40% drop out.

Indian Government

 

The population of the Middle East and Northern Africa has quadrupled since 1950 — and is expected to double again by 2050.

Barron's

 

U.S. health care spending reached $1.66 trillion in 2003. By comparison, China's and India's entire GDP stands at $1.4 trillion and $598 billion, respectively.

World Bank

 

Between 1980 and 2001, the proportion of people living in poverty in the developing world fell by half — from 40% to 21%.

World Bank

 

By 2007, the majority of the world's population will live in cities for the first time in human history.

United Nations Population Division

 

As of 2000, the top 100 multinational companies generated only 4.3% of global GDP — about as much as the United Kingdom alone.

Financial Times

 

China's GDP will surpass that of Britain and Germany by 2007. For its part, India will surpass France in 2020 and Germany in 2023.

Goldman Sachs

 

In 2003, while 625 people were killed in terrorist attacks, ten million died of starvation.

U.S. Embassy to the Holy See

 

 

Global Quotes

"The mental gap between the rulers and young people is now between 100 to 150 years."

(Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, a former vice president of Iran, on his country's current leadership)

 

"Paradoxically, the richer a country becomes, the more unaffordable children become."

(Richard Tomkins, columnist for the Financial Times, on the low birth rates of developed countries)

 

 

"The opposition to globalization in the world is rooted in the feeling of some people that they are left out — left behind and stepped on by other countries."

(Bill Clinton, former U.S. president, on globalization)

 

"Deng Xiaoping probably did more than anyone else in the 20th century to raise the living standards of hundreds of millions of people."

(Robert Mundell, Columbia University professor)

 

"The comfort of the rich depends on an abundant supply of the poor."

(18th century French philosopher Voltaire, on social inequality)

 

"The UN was not created to take humanity to heaven — but to save it from hell."

(Shashi Tharoor, UN Under-Secretary General)

 

"The $40 trillion world economy is dangerously out of balance, America is guilty of excess consumption — whereas the rest of the world suffers from under-consumption."

(Stephen Roach, Morgan Stanley chief economist)

 

"Japan is to the U.S. financial markets what Saudi Arabia is to the world oil markets — the primary provider of capital."

(Joseph Quinlan, chief market strategist for Banc of America Capital Management)

 

"Europe will end up like a chicken in the pot of a Chinese cook."

(Italy's former Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti, on China's competitiveness)

 

"The American economic model is clearly superior to the European one — or is it the other way around?"

(Peter Sutherland, European chairman of the Trilateral Commission and chairman of BP)

 

"In my lifetime, we will have gone from the Greatest Generation to the Profligate Generation to the Bankrupt Generation." (Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times columnist, on the U.S. budget)

 

"I'm working two hours a day just to pay for the gas to get me to and from home."

(Bob Sherwood, U.S. motorist)

 

"When you hear that Intel, IBM and Goldman Sachs plan to move high-end jobs to China and India, what's going to be left here — restaurants?"

(Senator Charles Schumer, Democrat from New York)

 

"Is China a poor developing country? A regional power? An emerging global economic and military power? All three at once?"

(Robert Zoellick, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State)

 

"China is the Japan of the 1960s."

(Eisuke Sakakibara, Japan's former vice minister of finance for international affairs)

 

Africa and Globalization

 

By The Globalist

 

Africa's myriad problems are often attributed to a failure of leadership. And many African leaders today recognize that it is mainly their responsibility to achieve greater development for the continent. Yet, there are many factors outside their control — such as rich country protectionism — that are holding Africa back. Our Read My Lips feature explores the continent's prospects.

 

 

 

What lies at the core of Africa’s problems?

“Here in a nutshell is why Africans are poor: Their leaders keep them that way.â€

 

(Robert Guest, Africa editor for The Economist, October 2004)

 

 

 

"Remember, Africa is just 20 miles from Europe." (Clare Short, former British secretary of state for international development)

 

 

 

 

Do Africans agree that it’s all their own fault?

“Africa has never had an opportunity to develop itself, as it had been a playground of various political interests over centuries.â€

 

(South Africa’s Deputy President He Jacob Zuma, October 2004)

 

 

What is the key message Africans have for the developed countries today?

"The rich countries have a choice. Either let Africa have real access to your markets — or acknowledge that you prefer to keep us dependent on your handouts."

 

(Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, November 2003)

 

 

Why do Africans view the struggle against agricultural subsidies as a fight for survival?

“Agriculture is, for Africa, not just a source of food. It is the continent’s major occupation, its economy and culture — and the key to its future.â€

 

(Alpha Oumar Konare, head of the African Union and Peter McPherson, former head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, October 2004)

 

 

Is that opinion echoed by other African leaders?

“We ask that the world abandon its neo-mercantilism — its hoarding and protectionism. We ask for equitable access to the world’s markets.â€

 

(South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki, October 2004)

 

 

 

“Here in a nutshell is why Africans are poor: Their leaders keep them that way.†(Robert Guest, Africa editor for The Economist)

 

 

 

 

How did Brazil help Africa by taking rich countries to the WTO over cotton subsidies — and winning?

“Brazil was getting hurt by the cotton subsidies — but African countries were getting destroyed.â€

 

(Pedro de Camargo, Brazil former deputy agriculture minister, May 2004)

 

 

What other factor has hurt Africa’s development?

“The development of Africa has been stunted by its debt burden — and 99% of this debt is owed to Europe.â€

 

(Nigeria’s Vice President Atiku Abubaker, September 2004)

 

 

Is debt relief the answer to all of Africa’s problems, then?

“If on our side we don’t perform, if we don’t implement the right policies, then nothing will come of it. The ultimate responsibility is ours.â€

 

(Malawi’s Finance Minister Goodal Gondwe, January 2004)

 

 

 

"Africa's begging bowl is punched with holes. What comes in as aid and assistance eventually leaks away." (George B.N. Ayittey, professor of economics at American University)

 

 

 

 

Has foreign aid had any real impact on Africa?

"Africa's begging bowl is punched with holes. What comes as foreign aid and investment eventually leaks away."

 

(George B.N. Ayittey, professor of economics at American University, July 2003)

 

 

What conclusion have some African countries drawn from their massive borrowing in the past?

“Our position is that the days of loan-based development are over.â€

 

(South Africa’s Deputy President He Jacob Zuma, October 2004)

 

 

Is Africa’s cheap labor enough to attract global companies?

“Manufacturers need smooth roads, reliable electricity and efficient ports. But too often in Africa, the roads are craterous, because someone has looted the maintenance budget — and the power fails because the state monopoly utility company is staffed with politicians’ ***** cousins.â€

 

(Robert Guest, Africa editor for The Economist, October 2004)

 

 

Still, should Africans be wary of simple solutions?

"Africa knows the limits of relying on a free market alone to fight poverty."

 

(Mark Malloch Brown, administrator of the United Nations Development Program, July 2003)

 

 

 

“Our position is that the days of loan-based development are over.†(South Africa’s Deputy President He Jacob Zuma)

 

 

 

 

Why does Europe have a special responsibility?

"Remember, Africa is just 20 miles from Europe."

 

(Clare Short, former British secretary of state for international development, October 2003)

 

 

Which tragic choice did too many African countries make?

"Africans chose war — rather than the ballot box — to sweep away the old dictatorships."

 

(Aiden Hartley, author of "The Zanzibar Chest,†July 2003)

 

 

Does Africa have the potential to end its many wars on its own?

"African-led diplomacy — combined often with African troops, backed up by the UN and now the United States — is the recipe for success."

 

(Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, September 2003)

 

 

Can true democracy prosper in Africa?

“There will be a time when democratic transition will no longer be considered a miracle — but instead will be regarded as typical of the inclusive way in which people of our continent are capable of resolving their deepest differences.â€

 

(South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki, October 2004)

 

 

 

“Africa has never had an opportunity to develop itself, as it had been a playground of various political interests over centuries.†(South Africa’s Deputy President He Jacob Zuma)

 

 

 

 

Why is South Africa such a potent symbol for the entire continent?

“South Africa is perhaps more of a microcosm of the world than any other country. We have the full spectrum of human development — from subsistence agriculture to a fully fledged first-world society. We have a broad spectrum of cultural and religious communities, speaking 11 official languages — and including four races.â€

 

(Former South African President Frederick W. DeKlerk, April 2004)

 

 

And finally, why aren’t there more African entrepreneurs?

“For bright, energetic Africans, it is often easier to get rich by joining the government than by creating honest wealth.â€

 

(Robert Guest, Africa editor for The Economist, October 2004)

[Valenteenah.]

Regarding Debt, did you all know last Monday (16th May) was World Debt Day? The following excerpt is from a new report published by Jubilee Debt Campaign, ActionAid UK and Christian Aid, to mark the day.

 

 

Where did the debt come from?

 

From the 1960s and 1970s, developing countries were encouraged to take on large loans, which since then have escalated into enormous and unmanageable debts. Contributing factors have included the huge hike in interest rates caused by the oil crisis in the 1970s, and the collapse of many commodity prices.

 

This has meant that many countries now owe more than their original loans, even after years of repayments. For instance,

Nigeria originally borrowed about $17 billion; it has already repaid $18 billion, but still owes $34 billion. Just $2.1 billion in loans from bilateral creditors since 1971 has snowballed into over $22 billion in debts

.1

 

Creditors – both rich governments and the international financial institutions – have not sufficiently taken on board their share of responsibility for this crisis. Negligent and inappropriate lending, usurious terms of lending, and unjust trading conditions have all played a role in creating the debt crisis or undermining poor countries' ability to repay debts. In many cases, loans were knowingly given to corrupt, undemocratic and oppressive regimes, often in return for political support in the cold war.

 

Over $500 bn, around one fifth of all developing country2 debt, can be attributed to loans to dictators, which can also be termed ‘odious debt’.3 These include such horrific regimes as those of Mobuto Sese Seko in Zaire4, General Pinochet in Chile, 'Papa Doc' Duvalier in Haiti and apartheid-era South Africa. Rather than accepting responsibility for their part in propping up corrupt and oppressive regimes in these ways, and taking steps to repatriate stolen assets now invested in their countries, creditors continue to demand repayment from subsequent democratic governments. The countries’ populations, who suffered at the hands of oppressive regimes, now suffer again because of the debt.

Read further:In the Balance

[N.O.R.F]

This is awful, cant take reading this

 

Between 1980 and 2001, the proportion of people living in poverty in the developing world fell by half — from 40% to 21%.

World Bank

Yeah right, they would say that :rolleyes:

[N.O.R.F]

Nigeria originally borrowed about $17 billion; it has already repaid $18 billion, but still owes $34 billion. Just $2.1 billion in loans from bilateral creditors since 1971 has snowballed into over $22 billion in debts.

Somaliland/Somalia in the future if we are not careful.

 

Rather than accepting responsibility for their part in propping up corrupt and oppressive regimes in these ways, and taking steps to repatriate stolen assets now invested in their countries, creditors continue to demand repayment from subsequent democratic governments. The countries’ populations, who suffered at the hands of oppressive regimes, now suffer again because of the debt.

I touched on this topic in another thread a while ago and asked whether there may be a case for eradicating old debt recieved under the former Somali Govnt by highlighting the fact that no of the money was actually used to help the ppl but rather to buy arms during the cold war. Any international lawyers in the house?

[Valenteenah.]

^ That's an interesting question. It seems as though a lot of campaigners are working for debt cancellation from that premise, especially for the worst-affected and poorest countries. In this context, Somaliland/Somalia's case would be somewhere at the bottom of the list, I think.

[Viking]

Originally posted by Zephyrine:

Viking

,

Amazingly, you have listed every single module I took in Uni. I have an insane urge to post all my old essays by way of answer. But I shall resist.

 

Fantastic topic. Am actually looking forward to reading people's responses to the questions.

Zephyrine,

It would be interesting to see what you wrote on the subject. Pick one of them and post a summary of it. IMF, WB, Globalisation etc. pick one and post some of your opinions in summary. These institutions are cripling the poor nations and people all over the world should be informed about the roles they play.

[Valenteenah.]

Viking,

 

I think what I will do is edit together a little information on each of ur questions/points by way of introduction to the terms, their definitions and brief histories. That would probably be more useful.

 

In the meantime, I posted a short piece on the history of the debt crisis last year in Baashi's Informative articles thread.

 

Again, thumbs up on the topic. :cool:

[Coloow]

Assalamu calaykum,

 

Brother Viking

1)Globalisation is a disputable concept in my field- Too often proponents of the globalization debate point the finger at cross border trading, the profileration of knowledge, the availability of overseas production factors (cheaper) and ICT facilitation of the flow of capital and ownership. But if one scrutinizes it, these factors have been occurring for centuries- and thus nothing is new about them.

Too often the arguments about globalisation overshadows the important question of free cross border trading. We live in a world that is characterized by uneven conditions of development and unfair trading. Economic walls and tariffs are constructed in North America and Eu that suffocates entrepreneurship and small business development. If the spirit of globalisation is free trade, I think the poor countries would stand to gain. But, as things are today, protectionism and control of sources of endowments are the key challenges.

 

2. The IMF and the world Bank are nothing more than institutions of slavery and arms of dependency. The IMF and the world bank appear to have the task of keeping poor nations poor while rich nations fill their coffers with the interest rates they pray. They could be viewed as proxies of the western countries.

 

 

3) WTO is life the United nations: We have over 190 nations but only a few have the power to make changes , declare war or reduce the risk of war. There is no agreement when there is no parity between the partners to agreement.

 

 

4) UN SECURITY COUNCIL- whose security? Whose council? They should instead call it the state department’s office of war!

 

 

Insha allah, I am going to answer the remaining last questions sometime in the future!

 

 

P.s Läget bror?

[Paragon]

4) UN SECURITY COUNCIL- whose security? Whose council? They should instead call it the state department’s office of war!

This caught my attention sxb. The rest (globalization and its fracas) is pretty much common. But critical security studies theorists (Ken Booth) asks precisely the questions you asked. The UN's sec. council articles of human security tends to overlap with Booth's advocacy for 'Human-centric' rather than 'state-centric' security study. If he succeeds in his debates, soon we might start to view all issues (global poverty, economic globalization..and so on) through security's lens.

 

be back

[Viking]

Caaqil,

The WTO is one of the better instituions. Every country has one vote, the problem lies with the power of the "QUAD" (USA, EU, Canada and Japan) who decide the policies and the rest can only vote FOR or AGINST. They have no influence at all on the polices being formed. This institution can be worked on as it is the only platform where the voice of the weak has ahd an impact. The collapsed talks in Cancun was a clear message to the world that poor nations do not want to be bullied around and that they would fight back if given a platform.

 

Another problem is, the meetings of the "QUAD" are held behing closed doors and are held in the secretive so called "green room". As the Somali saying goes, wixii la qariyaa qurun baa kujiraa. With transparency and less power to the QUAD, this platform can help the poorer nations; but this wouldn't be allowed by the four gluttonous wealthy nations.

 

The media does not help either because it shows the WTO alks from the QUAD's point of view. It is made to look as if the poor nations are refusing some pretty good deals which can not be further from the truth.

 

The Security Council is a big bully. They use a combinations of bribery, blackmail and threats in order to get the resolutions they need from the temporary members. Recently, when Yemen and Cuba voted against a UN Security Council resolution, the US cancelled it's $70million aid and almost a million Yemeni workers were expelled from Saudi Arabia. The message is clear, if you go against the interests of the US, you get punished!

 

 

(Laget ar bra sxb.)

 

 

The rest (globalization and its fracas) is pretty much common.

J11,

Sxb, these things are not that 'common'. I often hear relatively intelligent people (and also govt officials) from poor nations speaking in favour of "globalisation" thinking that it solely refers to trading of goods between nations.

 

Have you seen the fracas going on in Bolivia? The govt was forced to privatise the main water company some years ago. The private owners then decided to hike the prises in order to make huge profits (just as one might do with a private company). The sad part is taht the people of Bolivia are so poor that they could not cope. There have been mass demonstrations which have now moved to La Paz. There is massive awareness in that country at the moment about the ills of globalisation as they have experienced its adverse effects first hand.

[Muhammad]

peace be upon you all, great topic/subject viking!

 

the world is run by two systems, the Dajjal system and the Shariah system.

 

History is the cycle of these Two systems.

 

both systems can exist in the world at the same time for a short period, but ultimatly one must dominate.

 

so whichever system is in control at any particular time primarily depends on the free will (choice) of the human.

 

while the manpower of the Dajjal system is under the control of Shaytan and his followers, it can never dominate the Shariah system, unless the defeat comes from within the followers of the Shariah(the Khilafah).

 

when the followers of the Shariah fail their responsibility towards the system, the System is then returned to its Source - Allah(swt), untill a new people(Khilafah) rise (to enjoin good and forbid wrong) and make the Shariah system to dominate.

 

the Dajjal system can only dominate the world for only a short time, only the space in between, the failure of the old Khilafah and the rise of the new.

 

it is clear to us that we are currently living in a world were the dajjal system is in control. under such system, there is no justice, no peace, the strong eat the weak, the rich steal from the poor.

 

the IMF, WTO, UNSC, World Bank, all these are tool s of the Dajjal system. even if the creation of these networks was for good intention, if the system is corrupt, then ultimatly they all became the hands of the system.

 

the only way to break this cyle, this system, is for a new system to rise, a system that is pure and free from the corruption of the Dajjal System, and that system is the Shariah(enjoin good-forbid wrong) system.

 

History is the cycle between the Dajjal and the Shariah system.

 

what is required now is for the opressed people to rise up and free themselves from this system, to free their minds, hearts and souls, and rise break the system.

 

hence in history those that always rise for the Shariah system are those that are opressed, the weak and the poor.

 

while those who fight for the protection of the Dajjal sytem are the elites, the rich and the fat. the vampires who suck the blood out of the poor and weak.

 

who will rise up for justice?

 

who will speak for justice?

 

who will call for justice?

 

who will inherit the world(khilafah) thru the Shariah system?

 

Somalia? Africa? ...

 

the seats are open for all with clean hearts!

 

O you who believe! whoever from among you turns back from his religion, then Allah will bring a people, He shall love them and they shall love Him, lowly before the believers, mighty against the unbelievers, they shall strive hard in Allah's way and shall not fear the censure of any censurer; hat is the grace of Allah, which He will bestow on whom He pleaseth. And Allah encompasseth all, and He knoweth all things.

 

Noble Quran: Al-Maedah 54

ps. i used the Dajjal system, because the Dajjal represents the 'ideal' era of the Shaytani system in the world.

Amani