Terrorism, Starvation And The Global Economic Crisis: Counter Strategies

By: Dr_R_M_Mathew

Every major problem affecting the humanity has become a part of several other problems, as the peoples and the nations are getting more and more interconnected for the forces of globalization and Information Technology,. There is no single solution for any problem without taking into account the solutions for the other problems. Faith, ideology, technology, poverty or starvation, inter-regional and inter-sector imbalances, terrorism or fundamentalism and the global economic crisis are getting inseparable and mutually interconnected.

Hunger and Starvation are getting emerged as the greatest threat of the very survival of the humanity as they are capable of aggravating terrorism, fundamentalism, inter-sector imbalances and the global economic crisis. For tacking them, alternative strategies are required quite different from the familiar economic, political, technological and social policies and strategies of the national governments and intergovernmental agencies besides that are advocated by the Think Tanks, Academics and Multinational Corporations.

PLIGHT OF THE GREEN COLLAR WORKERS

It is much easier to make a tablet or smart phone available to every school children and bring everybody under the control of e-or m-governance than to feed everybody on this earth. Even though industrial revolution had made blue collar workers superior to farmers and farm workers, it also contributed for the wide mechanization of farming operations and thereby substantial increase in food production and creation of value-added and innovative food products. Information Technology Revolution has brought out a new class of white collar workers or professionals dominating the blue collar workers and even reducing farmers and farm workers or ‘green collar workers’ to the status of beggars or the ‘Sudras’ of the caste dominated India.

The gap with regard to the earning and the social status between the green collar workers, the blue collar workers and the white collar workers has been widened into several folds in the ratio of 1: 5: 25. As a result, farm products, especially food production has been declining at an alarming rate globally, making agriculture inferior or unattractive, especially for the new generation.

INTER-SECTOR IMBALANCES LEAD TO THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS AND STARVATION

Even the school children with a minimum understanding of the working of an economy know that the humanity cannot survive with the over-dominance of service sector, neglecting the industrial and agriculture sectors. This has become more evident with the emergence of globalization in which the entire nations have been brought under a ‘mega global economy’ making national economies or the familiar ‘Micro-’ and ‘Macro-Economics’ almost toothless or irrelevant.

The growing inter-sector imbalances is the basic reason for the prolonged global economic crisis and acute shortage of food products and increasing hunger and starvation affecting the entire humanity. Both the UN and its Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have already admitted that the non-availability of food products to feed everyone on the earth is the greatest crisis and challenge of the Humanity. If the present trend continues, at least one fourth of the mankind will be wiped out with hunger and starvation by 2025.

TERRORISM AND FUNDAMENTALISM

In the pre-globalization era, hunger or starvation was mere a local issue limited to the affected without any international consequence. The victims had taken it as their fate. • With IT Revolution and the consequent globalization, hunger or starvation of a particular region or country has turned a global issue and the victims have taken it as something that is thrust upon them by the others and they want to take retaliation against the international community. •

Poverty and starvation coupled with the denial of dignity are the basic motive force behind terrorism and fundamentalism, though religion or faith has been used as a mask. Young people who could not make use of their creative energies start to believe that dignity has been denied to them. • Glorification of martyrdom for the sake of faith or religion, including special status in the Paradise after martyrdom, is the other motive force behind terrorism. Terrorism is capable of attracting even the non-affected people towards its fold by sympathy or oneness with the victims of starvation or oppression.

DISINTEGRATION OF THE RURAL AND FARM SECTORS

Planning and development strategies of almost all nations and international agencies are aimed at urbanization and pumping resources, technologies and expertise for the development of cities at the expense of rural and agriculture sectors. Cities are not only the beautiful streets, fashionable men and women and sky scrapers but also ugly slums, coldblooded crimes and alienated youth and women.

Neglect of the rural or farm sectors leads to the disintegration of the rural life, drastic decline of agriculture production leading to inflation of farm products and the starvation of the millions, migration of rural work force to cities, even from foreign countries and the fall of the general purchasing power of the people leading to a glut in the industrial sector and then economic crisis.

The deliberate and consistent neglect of the rural and farm sectors has created a new class of socially and culturally alienated men, women and teens who are cut off from their rural culture and unable to integrate with the urban culture. They can easily be attracted towards crimes, alcoholism, religious fundamentalism and terrorism as a means of expressing their identity or even frustration.

MISGUIDING UNIVERSITIES

While almost all universities glorify the higher qualifications that they offer, they are reluctant to appreciate the skills, knowledge and expertise of those who do not have higher qualifications though that are required in a fast changing world.

In the glorification of higher qualifications, those who do not have higher qualifications have been relegated to the status of ‘fake’ or fraudulent or illiterate even if they have valuable practical skills, expertise and knowledge. • As a result, a best fitter or farmer or mason or carpenter with a lot of practical skill, expertise and knowledge is made eligible for one third pay or status of a graduate in agriculture or engineering on the ground that the former does not have a university degree, though the latter may not have the practical skill, expertise and knowledge of the former.

This has adversely affected the income and social status of the farmers and the rural people and driving the educated people away from the farm and rural sector to cities besides making investment in the rural sector unattractive. The net result is the increasing rural poverty and decreasing farm and agriculture products, especially food products which is the basic reason for prolonging the Global Economic Crisis and increasing frustration of the lower and middle class people both in urban and rural areas.

ECONOMIC CRISIS, STARVATION AND FUNDAMENTALISM

Now the world is the grip of economic crisis that will prolong at least 2025 or above; poverty and starvation are spreading in almost all countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America; greater number of people are turning towards religious fundamentalism and terrorism; most of the religions are acquiring the characteristics of fundamentalism to satisfy the new breed of frustrated youth and women. Hardcore criminals, murderers, and looters will be attracted towards any religion that glorifies revenge, terror and murder and self-sacrifice in the name of the God or the faith as ‘Martyrdom’ or facilitates in branding the victims as the enemies of the God or non-believers so as to justify the crimes and ensure a better place in Paradise after death.

SALUTE AND EMPOWER THE FARMERS

By taking into account the increasing rural poverty, falling agriculture products and prolonged global economic crisis, it is time to salute the farmers and the rural community who produce food items and farm products and creating market for the industrial products. The rural or farming community deserves better income and social status on a par with the industrial and service sectors, reducing the illogical gap in earning and social status between the different sectors of the economy.

New global strategies have to be formulated to counter starvation and non-utilization of the creative energies of the young people in the backward regions or nations and the consequent terrorism and fundamentalism besides the global economic crisis by developing the rural and agricultural sector and increasing the food production supported by proper marketing and distribution of food products. •
.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR THE FARMERS AND FARM WORKERS

IT professionals can help farmers in adopting the best farming practices with specially designed software to different crops at different climates, temperature, doses of manure or fertilizer or watering, harvesting, storing or processing. Banks, financial houses and insurance firms can help in mobilizing and investing capital for rural development and financing the rural community in a mutually beneficial manner.

Governments and the private sector must come forward to make at least a five fold investments for rural infrastructure development and a ten fold increase in food production and thereby creating new employment to millions ,including the urban people.

A FIVE FOLD INVESTMENT

Development of the rural sector leads to engaging the creative energies of the entire young people, including those of cities besides making them free from the grip of religious fundamentalism. • This is possible only by making a five fold investment in rural and agriculture sector and increasing application of high technologies and management techniques for food production, processing and distribution besides elevating the status of the farmers and farm workers by reducing the unjust and illogical gap with the service sector.

By Dr. Raju M. Mathew

© 2013 Copyright Dr. Raju M. Mathew - All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

© 2005-2022 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.