What would happen if world leaders really did decide to make poverty history?
There are lots of things that might happen, many of which are good but others that are very bad indeed.
It would be good to see an end to the appalling death rates of innocent children from preventable diseases, malnutrition, and starvation. It would be good to see families and communities enjoying some security and being able to look forward to growing old. It would be good to see governments and economies established and fruitful, sustaining nations without crisis or handout.
But what then?
Some cultures and lifestyles would disappear: they are defined by and borne out of poverty. Some would mourn the loss but most would probably label it as progress.
Stronger national economies would mean more money to spend on defence. It is not unreasonable to expect significant bloodshed spilling over from decades of unrest in some quarters. Taking this to the full conclusion, some of the worst dictatorships in the world could end up running nuclear facilities and improving long and short-range arsenals - for defence, of course. Financial stability and a growing, more healthy population would also impact the world trade situation. The purchasing power and debt control currently played out by developed countries would take a significant dent.
Taking this further still, the world map in 100 years might not feature the US and Europe in quite the dominant way it currently does. Certainly China will have grown to a position of enormous significance but if African nations also grow things will be different again.
In the UK, the population is growing older and families are having fewer children. In 40 years’ time there simply won’t be enough working people to finance the pensions and care for the elderly. The UK (currently struggling with policy decisions over immigration) will need young immigrants to come in to finance the country. Some will be unskilled, some skilled; but we will be trying to entice people from their own growing/improving countries where poverty has been consigned to history.
Making poverty history is a good thing to do and would save lives, but puts already developed economies in some jeopardy.
If you were running the country, would you like to be remembered as the leader who made poverty history or the one who sold your country down the river?
I don’t believe there is any real plan to make poverty history among the leaders of the current dominant countries - they have too much to lose. Moreover, I believe they are deliberate about their plans not to make it history but rather to maintain the status quo while making notional gestures to keep the electorate and press happy.
However, I don’t believe it’s an entirely selfish plan: even bigger things are at stake!
Click here to see what I mean.
