Are the American/ European Governments deliberately keeping the third world poor / unable to develop?

Question

I think this may be the case, if these countries were "allowed" to develop.
1. they would be able to get a fair price for their commodities / mineral wealth
2. they would be a considerable opponent on the world trading markets

Answer 1

indeed!..perhaps you should alert the authorities...get this mess straightened out.

Answer 2

The West, particularly the US and UK has consistently attempted, with varying degrees of success and failure, to promote social, economic and political stability in the Third-World. This was the strategy adopted to thwart the appeal of Communism during the Cold War. The problem is that the zeal with which they perused the effort was diminutive at best. Sometime they achieve the exact opposite of what they intended by applying so rigid a standard to Western aide and assistance that it gave ammunition to nationalists and communists alike for the charge of “imperialism.”

The Soviets had the very opposite agenda and was vigorously perusing instability in the Third-World as this instability would lead to popular discontent and heighten the appeal of Communism. In some cases, such as the Arab world the Soviets were content to simply turn them against the West, as it was perhaps unlikely that millions of Islamic Arabs would succumb to Communist atheism. Hence the Soviet-inspired Arab-Israeli Conflict. Fact is the Communists were better at their job than the West and won a considerable number of Third World nations and/or populations to their cause.

Today with the absence of the Soviet Union, the cause has been taken up by the United Nations. This was once a body devoted to promoting stability and growth in the Third World though the medium of international cooperation. It is now a vehicle to maintain the status quo of Third World backwardness and rolling back the developed world to those standards.

Answer 3

If you have noticed the poorest countries on Earth all have certain things in common. 1) they lack Representative government( the citizens of those countries have little or no say in how things are run, N Korea, Cuba, Zimbabwe are good examples) 2) they lack a rule of law, when governments (dictatorships can change the rules to suit their agendas and help themselves. When private property rights are not guaranteed people will not invest in those nations). 3) they do not have a free market economy ( without the ability for the individual to profit from his own labor incentive is nonexistent, while the ruling class lives large the masses live small and in many cases if they resent their slave status starve, once again think Zimbabwe, N Korea, Cuba, and quite soon Venezuela) The US and Europe can not stop countries from developing, have no interest in doing so, and have not prevented them from advancing in the past. Look in the US, Europe, Japan and other developed nations we produce finished products that can only be purchased by other developed or developing nations. You don't really think we would shrink the market for our own products, stop our own companies from profiting, and expanding our global dominance, do you?

Answer 4

I think we would LOVE for some of these countries to develop.

Take Mexico. Great resources, good people, plenty of potential, but a corrupt government and social system that can't or won't develop.

We need to understand why successful nations develop to best answer your question. Look at Japan as one example of a country whose social and political systems were completely turned around (primarily by America) and which has succeeded.

We need partners, and good trade partners are not opponents--with the possible exception of China, which has chosen to develop in its own way and far less responsibly than Japan did.

Answer 5

I think to some extent we(US/Europe) would not want these countries to develop too much and become big players in the market place. That would hurt our interest although I wouldn't mind to see the starving countries prosper, I just don't think the US would be fond of seeing places in Africa strive and become our competitors in the market place.

On a side note: I've always wondered this because unfortunately, at least here in the US, we need people to clean our toilets and do the crap work that nobody wants to do. Our societies depend success as much as we depend on failure. If everyone was highly educated then who would do all the low paying crap work? We NEED a certain percentage of people to be unsuccessful. It's a sad truth but it is the way it is.

Answer 6

I don't think so. Leadersof third world countries and their
cronies are to be blame for the failure to develop and rise from the doldrums of being classified as a poor counrty.
Various economic aids have been provided to help these countries to develop but these packages of assistance
go to waste because of inappropriate use of funds and
corruption of the officials of the countries concerned. If only
these countries can emulate Japan and south korea, which
rose from being devastated by wars to economic success
for using the aid provided them in the development of their
economy then there is a great chance for these third world
countries to succeed.

Answer 7

Over the decades billions have been sent to third world countries but the problem still exists mainly because of the corrupt UN and The UN dealing with the corrupt leaders of these third world copuntries the only ones getting fat and fed are the UN and corrupt leaders of these third world countries.
They started live Aid back in the 80`s Billions have been sent to Africa but nothing is changing .

Answer 8

Idiot. The world is immeasurably more wealthy today under the direction and policies of America. This isn't even debatable you fool.

-America saved and then rebuilt all of Europe twice
-America rebuilt all of Japan - which is now the 2nd richest nation.
-America donates 100 times the amount of $$$ in aid than EVERY OTHER COUNTRY COMBINED.
-We created your precious U.N.
-The World Bank
- The IMF.
- The Red Cross
-LOOK AT THE 2004 TSUNAMI - What now????
-Its our Navy that patrols the seas ensuring free trade.
- Its our military that liberates other countries around the globe - and your media CANNOT stand it - its no surprise that they lie to you. What a shame it is that you eat it all up.


Anyway, enjoy your kool-aid.

Answer 9

Ask yourself, that if that is so, how do you explain Zimbabwe, which was once a major food provider to Africa but is now in disarray with galloping inflation that makes Argentina's past history look prudent and the West hasn't had a thing to do with any of that, all down to nutcase Mugabe.

Answer 10

Tribalism, in fighting, religious discrimination and mass genocide is to blame now. Yes there was Colonialism and Imperialsm. They want those countries weak so that they cannot use their own resources, so that they can just do a walk in. It is the same old divide and conquer game, this time being done by the people native to those third world countries.

Answer 11

Corruption,Nepotism,and selfishness and sometime Laziness laced with instant gratification is making and keeping most third world countries poor.