Do Third World Nations Encourage Exploitation?

[castille]

Its funny how people rail about exploitation in Third World countries...yet its also amazing how so many of those poor nations actually encourage the process of exploitation with little foresight. What is more amazing is that many former Third World nations who had the foresight to prevent damaging exploitation were able to steer their nation into economic wealth, despite pressures from the First World.


Thailand - there are very few laws on industry. The Thai government encourages use of abundant land, natural reosurces, and labour without thoughts for future growth. It made very few plans to prevent both domestic and foreign firms from cutting down excessive amounts of timber.

AIDS are denied fiercely by the Thai government, and there is a deep encouragement of the expansion of the sex trade to raise quick cash for the government. Very little attention is paid to factories that pollute (even in comparison with other industrialising nations like Indonesia and China).

In 1993, 40% of all Thai factories infringe on both quality controls and safety checks, yet the government does not give its attention to this. Even from a pure profit point of view, this is detrimental to the future economy of Thailand.


The same occurs in numerous Third World nations - Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Sudan, CAE, Indonesia are minor examples. In fact, the wealthiest members of Zimbabwe are government officials, military staff, and security forces (don't see any capitalists here, do you?)


Its funny...everyone is looking at America for some reason (oddly the US doesn't even conduct much trade with most Third World nations), yet they fail to realise the very source of poverty in Third World nations are often linked to the governments themselves.


Sometimes culture can play a role - Confucian culture in China and Japanese discipline has led to their economic growth and rapid development. But I very much doubt that "African culture" is one of laziness, corruption, and barbarianism (that myth was thrown out after the 1950s).


So either the Third World nations are lazy and undisciplined...or their governments are refusing to take action, and are instead buying more AK47s and T-54 tanks instead of implementing policies for their nation.

[Bayou]

Ummmmm since when was it a news flash that american/european nations have helped prop up petty dictatorships that let their people be exploited for the ones in power to profit?
Thats your answer to whats the problem in Africa, and many Asian nations.
As you may well know, once the people get a true grasp on power in their country, they start to prosper and become relatively healthy ( see Brazil, Venezuela) but if certain nations continue to meddle in other nations affairs by commiting money to a certain obtuse drug war= these nation could conceivably never see peace...ever.

Though I dont know why you included Japan as a former third world country, they had acheived industrialism before WW1, never ceded to a colonial power unlike China.
They deserve to be lumped in to the 1st world order as much as France or Germany.

As for your disection of 3rd world government policies, isnt it ironic then that the current U.S government is spending more money on the military then it is on education, healthcare, social insurance and welfare combined?
By your definition, the U.S is a tyrannical oligarchy that exploits it's people for the people who holds power profit.
I agree with you.

[RebelWithanAK]

Actually, you're slightly wrong, Bayou: America spends more money on the military than everything else combined. More than half our money is invested in destroying other sovereign nations and killing our boys at home. Don'cha love the good ole' peacelovin' US of A?

[Bayou]

My apologies Rebel, I thought I heard that statistic some where, but went for the conservative number by listing the sectors <combined> I rememberd being smaller then the military expenditure.

[darwinist]

What about the WTO bully boy tactics. Which is forcing the third world futher into debt. The dumping of cheap European grain, on developing countries. That destroys there farming.

Therefore help create more third world countries.

Keeping the rich, rich. Holding the poor down and making them poorer.

Who are these nations, USA, Candana and European countries.

[RebelWithanAK]

Candana, oh Candana!

[Bayou]

The WTO is a crock, the G8 nations treat it like the league of nations, following it's rules when it's conveniant for themselves, then expecting third world countries to submit to it like it was the highest power on the planet.
Well since the europeans crops last year have been decimated by the heatwave, their grain subsidies will be ineffective(as they have nothing to subsidize for) and world grain prices may actually be on the rise this year.
Good for farmers in third world countries, U.S and Canada<candana>.
Assuming their wasnt rampant droughts in Africa, I know is that Alberta and the rest of Canada had a pretty good crop season(Alberta and the rest of the prairies in particular had been in drought conditions for the last 5 or so year; which according to environmental scientists is a light weight for the Canadian Prairies, it seems at the same time Europeans arrived in north america the Canadian Prairies entered it's wettest period ever= the typical drought here before lasted 20 years or so.
Before I learned this, I thought only Australia and Africa got drought that lasted that long.

[white rice]

The WTO, World Bank, IMF, etc... are all NGOs. Non-Governing Organizations. The people on there are not democratically elected. Nor do they share interests with the common man. Something to stew on....

[castille]

Actually, the United States spends a tiny fraction of its GDP on defence.


The problem with using absolute figures (ie. $100) for military spending is that nations like Micronesia or Haiti don't need as much defence spending as the US (in fact I believe China's armed forces are equal to the size of dozens of small nations).


The argument that "big bad amerika spends more money than everyone else in guns" is flawed - because America has the world's highest GDP.


The US only spends 3.2% of its GDP on military.

Compare this with North Korea who spends 33.90% of their GDP on defence, Ethiopia who spends 12.60% of their GDP on defence, Syria who spends 5.9% of their GDP, Kuwait who spends 5.5% of their GDP, and Yemen who spends 5.2% of their GDP.


Third World nations are in fact spending a greater proportion of their overall wealth on defence. America can AFFORD big guns; the Third World needs to focus on its people instead of buying guns or terrorist training huts.

[G. Adams]

America can't afford big guns, it needs to raise its education standards to the rest of the modern world. And it does matter that the US spends so much on defence because it doesn't need a military the cost of the next 15 nations put together, unless it is intent on dominating the world.

[castille]

Well if America can't afford big guns, North Korea and Ethiopia can't afford ANY guns! If the US agrees to cut down on military spending and put it into education, will the Third World nations agree to cut down on military spending to feed its starving masses?

Haha.




Besides, the US education system can't be entirely blamed for failure. Its the American students who don't bother studying that are the problem.

Americans are starting to blame anyone EXCEPT for themselves for their failures....

My uncle had to work from 5pm-10pm at a sweatshop, and studied under a table in a hut from 11pm-2am....how come he earns more than Australia's Prime Minister today?

[G. Adams]

Third World nations can't afford to spend what they do on the military, but also can't afford not too, if they don't the neighbours might invade. The US however could spend a third of its current defence budget and protect itself well.

Education systems should be encouraging those students from an early age to enjoy learning, so as not to be lazy, instead of just giving them the pig fodder education they get currently.