Tackling Poverty with Globalisation!

[Ancalagon]

Do you think the recent world summit on tackling universal poverty was a success or a failure?

Was it hijacked by oil producing countries who sought to satisfy their own greed rather than seeking new advances in alternative power sources?

Why was Colin Powell heckled by so many delegates at the conference?

[Tyaronumen]

Originally posted by Ancalagon
Do you think the recent world summit on tackling universal poverty was a success or a failure?

Was it hijacked by oil producing countries who sought to satisfy their own greed rather than seeking new advances in alternative power sources?

Why was Colin Powell heckled by so many delegates at the conference?

Well, it was a success from a political, rhetorical perspective. From a practical perspective? It was more or less a failure. There was no real committment to tackle this issue head on. Instead, we see more stop-gap measures, and verbal committments that have no real obligations behind them.

Colin Powell was heckled by so many delegates because the voice of the United States has been one of hypocrisy on the issues of poverty and the environment for many, many years. On the one hand, Powell expresses that the United States is committed to resolving these issues.

On the other hand, the United States is blatantly in opposition to any sort of treaty that would require action, instead supporting treaties that don't require any action, but strongly condemn poverty.

If all the most powerful, wealthiest nation in the world can do is issue a strong verbal condemnation of poverty while end-running any attempts to actually require any sort of real committment to help address this situation and bring more economic prosperity (and more markets for American goods!), then I guess I'm in the "heckle" part of the crowd too!

We need more committment to resolving world poverty. It is absolutely short-sighted for anyone in a 1st world country to believe that their lives are better the way things are now than they would be if people everywhere had enough to eat, enough to wear, jobs with livable wages, and thus, enough money to buy American consumer goods.

All IMHO, of course.

[gate7ole]

This is a great issue. Great enough to steal time from the HOME reading.

As I understand it, Johanesburg (sp) world summit was a complete failure. No radical measures were taken. Everyone was too sensitive not to disturb the great companies that rule the world. And what would someone expect from smaller countries like the European when even USA was unable to raise a voice against those leviathans of world economy? It is a sad truth and we must face it. The pollution of environment and universal poverty are of less importance to the people holding the cards. As long as money is accumulated to their pockets, we can be assured that NO measures will be taken. And all those world summit discussions are only to confuse people and believe that something is going to change. Can they use alternative power sources? I believe yes, at this moment, without any further tests. Scientists have been working on the subject for years, they must have found many profitable implementations. So why don't they use them but waste time on those useful meeting?

[Arvedui]

As long as the US administration has to be dragged kicking and screaming no matter in what direction, any such summit will be a failure. Unfortunately, USA is so dominant in the world, that no significant prograss can be made without their participation. What is even worse is that they are quite aware of their position, but not quite aware of the limits of their strength. Is seems strange to me that someone actually thinks that you condemn poverty away. You just have to be George Bush to be able to think that way.
I am extremely dissapointed in the lack of commitment shown by the US. On the other hand, I had no great expectations either.

What I don't quite understand is how the US government failes to see the connection between poverty in the third world and the growing number of religious extremists who see the US as "The Great Satan". In such an angry crowd, those with a personal agenda will have an easy time trying to find people who are willing to commit the most horrifying terrorist acts (which I in no way defend, if youre having such thoughts). In my simlpe world it is as simple as this: Help to remove poverty, and the world will also be a safer place to live.