Global Challenges: Development, Technology, and Conflict Resolution
Global Wealth Distribution and Underdevelopment
Globalization is promoting the production of global wealth, but this increased wealth is not evenly distributed. Underdevelopment is the living situation in those countries that have lagged behind the intense process of modernization experienced by most developed countries.
Root Causes of Economic Divergence
The main cause of this divergence between developed and developing countries has been the failure of labor productivity to increase dramatically in countries that have not achieved modernization.
Essential Resources for Modernization
Modernization requires three types of resources:
- Material Resources: Industrial plants with modern technology, advanced transportation, and communication.
- Human Resources: Skilled workers and citizens with an adequate cultural level.
- Institutional Resources: Political, economic, and social structures that are stable and effective.
Strategies to Overcome Underdevelopment
Developing countries must first be willing to help themselves. Above all, developing countries must establish peace and stability, which are the basis of any progress. Developed countries can also help poor countries out of underdevelopment. This requires that rich countries:
- Provide opportunities for exports from poor countries.
- Make productive investments (or provide productive aid).
Emerging Global Risks
Technological Progress and Unforeseen Risks
The development of a modern economy rests mainly on technological and scientific progress. Science and technology provide the means of production. However, they often cause unforeseen risks. These risks can be prevented by vigilance.
The Precautionary Principle
Vigilance on scientific and technological development should be guided by the precautionary principle: when experts cannot determine with certainty the level of risk for a certain decision or activity, the responsible authorities should introduce preventive measures to eliminate or at least reduce this risk.
Environmental Impact and Climate Change
One of the most worrying consequences of technological development has been its growing impact on the environment. This impact is produced in two ways: production and consumption. The modern economy, based on the output of goods and materials, requires the use of advanced and powerful technologies. These technologies often have devastating effects on the environment. Our environment is being damaged both by our current form of production and our current way of consuming the products.
The current ecological crisis, manifested primarily by the threat of climate change, can only be overcome if humanity is capable of initiating a new technological revolution that facilitates modification. This revolution must focus on the development of clean technologies.
Cultural Diversity and Coexistence Risks
The third risk involves the increasingly close relationship and links between cultures and different lifestyles. To minimize the possibility that cultural diversity becomes a risk factor, we should all strive to strengthen what we have in common beyond our cultural differences: our status as citizens of a democratic country, possessing equal rights and duties, open to the world, and committed to solidarity.
Primary Drivers of Social Conflict
Conflict arises from:
- Confrontation between disparate economic interests.
- The desire to monopolize political power.
- The desire of some ethnic, cultural, religious, or ideological groups for dominance, imposing their way of life on all of society.
Conflict Resolution: Peaceful vs. Violent Means
The real problem is not conflict itself, but how it is resolved. What makes conflict destructive to coexistence is when any of the disputing parties choose violence as a means to resolve the conflict in their favor. When conflicts commence by peaceful means, they do not pose a serious social problem. When the attitude is violent, conflict becomes a serious destabilizing factor.