History - North and South - Essay Example

Other (s) North and South Most of the current problems facing international relations such as terrorism, armed conflicts and poverty and human rights violations have increasingly been blamed on the political and social economic divide between the wealthy countries of the North and the poorer countries of the South. Despite the fact that most of the nations regarded as the “Countries of the North” are generally found in the Northern hemisphere with a few exceptions, the social economic and political divide between the countries of the world is not usually defined by geography.

The North is mostly made of developed countries of the West including Europe and North America. As countries become more wealthy and developed, they may be considered to be part of the North with no regard to their geographical location (Kacowicz, 566). With regard to the current economic, political and social problems facing international relations, many analysts have used a number of theories that seek to attribute some of the global challenges to the divide between the wealthy countries of the North and the poorer countries of the South.

For example critics of the North-South divide argue that the Rich countries have always embraced Capitalism which has ensured that they always have a comparative advantage over the less developed countries with regard to accumulation of wealth. In this regard, the countries of the North are believed to have accumulated their wealth by dispossessing and exploiting the resources of the under developing countries of the South. Additionally rich countries have also been blamed for using the current globalization trends such as the establishment of free market economies to exploit the less developed countries to the extend that they depend on the wealthy countries of the North for their economic survival (Robin and Cavanagh, 22).

Consequently the current global challenges such as terrorism, armed conflicts and poverty are being blamed on the unhealthy relationships between the countries which tend to marginalize the disadvantaged countries while at the same time favoring the privileged and rich countries. One of the global challenges facing international relations that have been blamed on the rich countries of the North is the current issue of climate change. Proponents of the argument believe that the Developed and rich countries are responsible for rapid destruction of global climate due to their high consumption of fossil fuels and other natural resources.

The rapidly growing urban centers as well many factories and industries in most countries of the North have significantly contributed to global pollution and environmental destruction as compared to the countries of the South. According to Sell (98), most countries of the North have the technological and economic means to exploit natural resources and the wastes that come out of their industries, laboratories and nuclear facilities are increasingly posing a serious problem to the international relations.

On the other hand, opponents of the argument believe that it is the countries of the South rather than the North that are responsible for the pollution and environmental problems since the developed countries well established regulatory measures in place than their less developed counterparts. The rising cases of armed conflicts have also been attributed to the social economic divide between the wealthy countries of the North and the poorer countries of the South. Although some of the global armed conflicts are motivated by social; and political issues, most of them are closely linked to economic motivations.

The greed of the countries of the North is one of the major incentives for wars and armed conflicts that have been witnessed in South America, Africa and other parts of the global South. For example through colonialism and economic imperialism, the developed countries have exploited the resources of the less developed countries thereby creating social inequalities and poverty that have in turn resulted in violent conflicts and wars. Such inequalities as well as feelings of marginalization have also been responsible for the other global problems such as terrorism.

Western countries have also been blamed for funding conflicts in regions rich in resources to enable them continue with their exploitation. For example the current conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo has largely been blamed on the Foreign backed militia groups who fight for the control of the countries vast natural resources. Finally when it comes to the fight against diseases such as HIV AIDs, Malaria and other diseases that have significantly affected various parts of the world, the Countries of the North have often given patent protections a priority over the public health concerns of the developing countries (Shadlen, 78).

Such policies have had devastating consequences in poorer countries of the global South. Works Cited Kacowicz,M., Arie. “Globalization, Poverty, and the North–South Divide.” International Studies Review 9.4 (2007): 565-580.Print. Robin Broad and John Cavanagh, “Don’t neglect the Impoverished South.” Foreign Policy,23 (1996): 22-23. Print. Sell, Susan. “North-south environmental bargaining: ozone, climate change, and biodiversity”, Global Governance, 2.1(1996): 97-118. Print. Shadlen, Ken.

“Patents and pills, power and procedure: the north-south politics of public health in the WTO,” Studies in Comparative International Development, 39.3(2004) 76-108