The Global South in the new millennium

The relationships between the world's developed and developing countries will no doubt continue to change in the globalized twenty-first century, but exactly how remains uncertain. A turn inward, toward isolationist foreign policies in the Global North, could lead to a posture of "benign neglect" of the South. Conversely, a new era of North-South cooperation could commence, dedicated to finding solutions to common problems, ranging from commercial to environmental and security concerns. Elements of both approaches are already evident, although the ultimate path that the Global North will choose in the new millennium is unclear.

Meanwhile, it is useful to remember the historical forces underlying the emergence of the Global South (the "Third World") as an analytical and political concept. Those who care to regard themselves as its members shared important characteristics and experiences. Most were colonized by people of another race, experienced varying degrees of poverty and hunger, and felt powerless in a world system dominated by the affluent countries that once, and perhaps still, controlled them. Considerable change occurred among the newly emergent states as the post-World War II decolonization proceeded, but much also remains the same. Thus, the concept "Third World" continues to describe "a state of mind" that will galvanize the Global South in the twenty-first century as it seeks to overcome the disorder and destitution that affect so many of its members.

 

Notes:

1 Foreign direct investment: ownership of assets (physical facilities, such as production plants and equipment) in one country by residents of another for the purpose of controlling the use of those assets.

Exercises:

1 Answer the following questions:

1 What do the developing countries plead for and what is the Global North‘s reaction?

2 What is foreign aid, in what forms does it come?

3 What are the purposes of aid?

4 Who provides money to the developing countries?

5 How did the volume of aid change after the end of the Cold War?

6 Enumerate the commonly stated goals of aid.

7 What is “conditionality“ in foreign aid?

8 How do the developing countries view foreign aid?

9 What are the conditions of the “20:20 compact“?

10 How do the Global South countries seek to improve their economy?

 

2 Give Russian equivalents for the following word-combinations:

domestic pressure groups, a promising means, the countries concerned, outright grant of money, at concessional rates, shared technical expertise, disaster relief, traditional justification, poverty reduction, human development, reduced military spending, enhanced economic management, promotion of democratic governance, to facilitate with foreign aid support, shift to market-oriented models, to spawn conditionality, worrisome decline, to perpetrate through imperial rule, International Monetary Fund, to stretch scarce resources, to lurk in the background, to meet basic human needs, prevailing mood, stagnant economic growth, to gain a share of global trade, to pave the way for the emerging markets.

 

3 Give English equivalents for the following words and word-combinations:

доступ к рынкам, разнообразие форм и целей, многосторонняя помощь, преследовать цели безопасности, экономическая выгода, объем помощи, защита окружающей среды, развитие частного предпринимательства, увеличение роли женщин, запасы химического и ядерного оружия, официальные источники, страны с низким доходом, столкнуться с реальностью, предложенный договор, в ответ, подобные усилия, избежать потерь, противоречивая стратегия, освободиться от зависимости и лишений.

 

4 Make up nouns from the following verbs using suffixes:

        to invest, to improve, to grow, to press, to reduce, to prefer, to prevent, to opine, to vary, to pursue, to continue, to maintain, to assume, to rationalize, to justify, to perform, to provide, to include, to protect, to enhance, to govern, to disarm, to dismantle, to store, to facilitate, to conclude, to emerge, to receive, to attach, to believe, to oblige, to repay, to perpetrate, to impose, to diminish, to determine, to propose, to expect, to devote, to deprive, to rely, to earn, to encourage, to erode, to remove, to relax, to restrict, to pave, to expand, to resist, to disrupt, to intensify, to liberate.

5 Give as many synonyms as possible to the following words:

        to plead, to support, to reduce, to prevent, to offer, to increase, to propel, to opine, to continue, to protect, to enhance, to disarm, to facilitate, to spawn, to appear, to chafe, to attach, to perpetrate, to earmark, to devote, to cease, to prevail, to search, to gain, to threaten;

aid, view, barrier, welfare, purpose, poverty, model, compact, deprivation, enterprise, sovereignty, restriction, disruption;

domestic, foreign, beneficial, outright, varied, major, private, dim, worrisome, scarce, similar, substantial.

6 Give antonyms adding negative affixes if necessary:

to improve, to include, to increase, to arm, to emerge, to integrate, to cease, to encourage;

wealth, advantage, patience,background;

critical, direct, varied, typical, major, traditional, particular, effective, human, desirable, dim, equal, scarce, expected, reliable, external.

7 Explain the meaning of the following adverbs and make up sentences with them:

increasingly, caustically, directly, typically, particularly, virtually, largely, commonly, specifically, consequently;

nonetheless, meanwhile.

8 Insert prepositions where necessary:

1 Faced … the reality … diminishing foreign aid dollars, rich and poor states met … Copenhagen … 1995 … the UN Summit … Social Development.

2 However, an intensified push … the Global South developing countries to compete … investment capital … order to liberate themselves … dependence and destitution seems likely.

3 Access … markets … the developed world is critical … economic growth … the Global South.

4 Foreign aid comes … a variety … forms and is used … a variety … purposes. Some aid consists … outright grants … money, some … loans … concessional rates, and some … shared technical expertise.

5 Instead … relying … development assistance … the Global North, many Global South … countries have sought to increase their export earnings and gain a share … global trade … seeking foreign direct investment.

6 Local industries … the Global South‘s domestic system, which are threatened … the competition, maintain ressistance as do those who point … the disruption and income inequalities that these investments are causing … their homelands.

7 US ambassador … Kenia opined … 1995 that … “the Soviets … … the game, we can no longer be blackmailed … giving money … projects which we know are not beneficial … the countries concerned“.

8 They often view foreign aid as an instrument … neocolonialism and neoimperialism and have been especially critical … conditionality imposed … the International Monetary Fund … recent years.

9 The US, … example, “paid“ … military base rights … many Third World countries … the Cold War … both economic and military aid.

10 It has stimulated a surge … the flow … 933 billion … private capital … the Global South … 1990 and 1997.

9 Translate from Russian into English:

1 Хотя опыт показывает, что доступ к рынкам в развитом мире крайне важен для экономического роста развивающихся стран, этот доступ все более усложняется, так как богатые страны пытаются уменьшить импорт товаров из стран 3-го мира, которые конкурируют с их промышленностью.

2 С окончанием Холодной войны многие так называемые страны-доноры посчитали, что им не следует давать деньги под невыгодные проекты.

3 Несмотря на то, что внешняя помощь приходит в различных видах и для достижения различных целей, именно экономическое развитие стран 3-го мира всегда было первичной задачей внешней помощи с окончания Второй мировой войны.

4 Некоторые страны-доноры, особенно те, которые оказывают наиболее существенную помощь развивающимся странам, выражают скептицизм по поводу эффективности использования этой помощи.

5 После окончания Холодной войны изменилось соотношение количества стран-доноров и стран-реципиентов, так как Россия и некоторые другие страны перешли из разряда доноров в группу стран-реципиентов.

6 Развивающиеся страны всегда полагали, что внешняя помощь – это их право и обязанность богатых стран, которые должны возместить им за годы колониальной зависимости.

10 Questions for discussions:

1 The necessity of aid to developing countries.

2 Aid of Global North countries to the 3^rd World countries: voluntary act or obligation?

3 Change of rate of donor and recipient countries after the end of the Cold War.

4 The place of the Soviet Union and Russia in giving/receiving foreign aid.

UNIT 8