Kamala Sarup: Conflict Higher in Developing World

Since developing countries have limited resources, they cannot become rich by producing goods. These require heavy capital investment and large transportation costs into other parts of the world.

Thus, developing countries must produce knowledge workers who can work through the Internet. Knowledge work does not require transportation and large capital investments. The workers remain in their countries because everything they do can be communicated via the Internet. Computer programming is an excellent example of knowledge work. Accounting, stock & bond trading, and science research and engineering design are other examples. There are many more.

However, knowledge work must be competitive in a world environment. This requires, in turn, world-class education in those subjects so that the graduates are able to compete around the world via the Internet. As these workers acquire income, they will spend it in their own country, because they live there, which will generate income for other people, who will produce products in their respective land because they live there and have the money to do so.

Many underdeveloped countries today are doing what I described above. Therefore, I can't think of a better way for South Asian countries to spend its revenues toward the objective of making their a richer country. Don't worry about power, except to defend the acquired wealth from usurpers and revolutionaries. The power to influence events other countries comes naturally with knowledge and wealth.

But on the other side, people cannot forget how violent conflict disrupts lives and reduces people's access to basic services. They know the risks of conflict are higher when people live in poverty and where they are marginalised economically. These conditions also affect business's operational and investment interests. Sometimes it appears that the people feel they have no political voice.

Political stability is essential to effectively implement poverty-related programs. The present crises are gradually pushing World's political future into uncertainty. Political uncertainty has made it all the more difficult to put an end to the excruciating problems created by the terrorists. A resolution of the ongoing conflict and economic infrastructure improvements are probably the most critical requirements for reducing poverty and improving the lives of all people.

Political parties should seek to help defuse tensions and build sustainable peace through promoting the targeted conflict reduction strategies. Such efforts as good governance programmes, encouraging the protection of the rights of minority groups, expanding the use of the media to provide objective information, as well as promoting international cooperation to curb illicit trafficking in small arms.

Leaders should have a responsibility to help reduce human suffering, and they should also work closely with humanitarian organisations as they seek to rebuild livelihoods and communities, and build capacity so that communities will be less vulnerable to future crises. It is a sad commentary on contemporary society the major political parties cannot seem to find any political solution to the problems faced by the people.

Conflict is a major constraint to development with critical impact on physical, economic, and social conditions.

The causes of our poverty are clear. Violent conflict is as bad for agriculture and business as it is for comprehensive economic national development. Community development can play a positive and crucial role in reducing conflict in many countries and building up their economic growth.

Leaders seem to be fighting only for power, and leaders are not in a mood to correct past mistakes. Traditional political structures and forces may be unable to solve current problems and political deadlocks can only serve to hold back national economic development. Surely, the responsible politicians and parties do not wish to condemn their countries to the status of a permanent "Lesser Developed Country"?

Since major political forces are now fighting each other, people would like to know how the traditional political forces would develop an agenda to bring the country into a more prosperous future. Any country requires political stability for economic prosperity and a sense of national well being.

To this observer, it looks as if some leaders are wasting valuable time by skirmishing needlessly over important constitutional and political issues.

Kamala Sarup is an editor of peacejournalism.com

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