The United Nations has stated that more than one billion people worldwide are living in extreme poverty, with over half of them being children. In war-torn countries, the poverty rate is three times higher. According to a report prepared by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in collaboration with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), media sources have reported that poverty rates in conflict-ridden countries are significantly higher, with 2023 witnessing the most global conflicts since World War II.
Even if we set aside the report jointly prepared by UNDP and OPHI, it’s not hard to see that poverty and death rates are alarmingly high in underdeveloped and war-torn countries, while birth rates among children remain extremely high. Child marriages, kidnappings, abuse, and murders are also occurring at frightening levels.
Therefore, if the report highlights that a billion people worldwide are living in severe poverty, it should come as no surprise. It’s likely that grassroots-level data may not have even been fully collected. The existence of such a large number of impoverished people globally reveals that the behavior of powerful nations toward development is not encouraging. Similarly, the controllers and handlers of global financial institutions do not seem to be serious about peace and development in poor countries.
Senior statistician Yan Chun Zhang at UNDP stated that this report paints a grim picture. He noted that for the poor living in conflict-affected countries, the struggle for basic necessities is much harder and more disheartening. The report shows that approximately 584 million children under 18 are facing extreme poverty, accounting for 27.9% of the world’s children, which is 13.5% higher than the adult population. 83.2% of the world’s poorest people live in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. OPHI Director Sabina Alkire pointed out that conflicts hinder efforts to reduce poverty.
The global economic system and its stakeholders — global capitalists, landholders, religious estate holders (such as churches, synagogues, temples, gurdwaras, shrines, madrasas, and mosques), and trustees or administrators of global charitable organizations — are all, in fact, stakeholders in international capitalism. In their worldview, there is no room for the poor and destitute.
However, creating group hatred, fostering religious sectarianism, fueling racial animosity, and maintaining civil war in poor countries serves the interests of these groups. Looking at today’s world, civil wars are primarily seen in poor and underdeveloped countries. These nations also show higher rates of religious, racial, and tribal hatred. The entire continent of Africa burns in the flames of these hatreds. Somalia, Libya, Sudan, South Sudan, Cameroon, Uganda, and Ethiopia are examples of nations where these seeds of animosity have been sown.
Civil wars have emerged from these seeds. Ethiopia’s civil war and famine were witnessed by all. Despite being one of the world’s most fertile regions, famine and war claimed the lives of millions there, eventually leading to the country’s division on religious lines. Eritrea became predominantly Muslim, while the rest of Ethiopia remained Christian, causing Ethiopia’s split into two parts. Sudan followed a similar path and now exists as two countries: Sudan and South Sudan, where Christians hold a significant majority. Indonesia also experienced division, with Bali, once part of Indonesia, now an independent nation. Bangladesh’s creation resulted from linguistic and racial conflicts, despite both West and East Pakistan being predominantly Muslim. When prejudice escalates beyond limits, it inevitably leads to war and bloodshed.
Examining Asia, poverty is rampant here too. South Asia is one of the poorest regions in the world, despite having abundant resources and a massive workforce. Highly skilled labor, artisans, top-tier engineers, doctors, financial experts, and scientists exist in this region. Many of these scientists have settled in the U.S. and U.K. and have won Nobel Prizes.
Looking at the entire South Asian region, vast reserves of oil, gas, and coal are available. There are also vast mineral reserves, including the world’s finest quality salt, found exclusively in this region. South Asia has abundant underground freshwater reservoirs. It’s astonishing that despite all this, 90% of South Asia’s population remains impoverished, whether they are Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, or Buddhists. Poverty seems to be their fate. What’s the reason behind this?
The powerful classes of this region, whose interests are aligned with global capitalism, are to blame.
International capitalism is now caught in its own contradictions. Economists, sociologists, and political scientists specializing in capitalism are working hard to preserve and maintain international capitalism. The IMF and World Bank experts are striving to improve the global financial system, but issues remain unresolved. If peace is established in poor and developed countries and reactionary forces lose their grip, international capitalism would still face challenges. Without civil wars, the arms industry in developed countries risks decline.
If peace is established and progressive ideas spread in poor countries, the development process would accelerate remarkably. However, this would reduce the scale of industries and businesses in developed nations, potentially increasing unemployment there. China and India serve as examples. As China’s and India’s economies have grown, the U.S. and Europe have begun confronting China, and even India, which remains aligned with the U.S. and Europe, is facing tensions as its economy leaps forward.
Therefore, the underdevelopment of poor nations, along with the hatreds and animosities that flourish there, seems directly linked to international capitalist countries. It’s worth contemplating where organizations like the Taliban or other global entities acquire their sophisticated and expensive weaponry. The financial transactions of these terrorist groups likely exceed the income of many countries. Is all of this happening in secret? Certainly not. In this age of technological advancement, it’s nearly impossible for such activities to evade the watchful eyes of powerful nations’ well-equipped bureaucracies and security agencies.
To save the global system, developed and powerful nations must make sacrifices.