Why Does Global Development Matter to the States?
WHY IS THE WORLD DEVELOPING? Improvements in people’s living circumstances, such as their health, education, and income, are referred to as development. In many nations, it happens at varying rates. The United States experienced its own brand of development. When it attained independence as a country in 1776: In today’s money, the average American made roughly $1,000 year as opposed to $30,000 now.
Compared to one in 143 today, one in five children perished before turning one. Today, practically all American children complete primary education, compared to the past when fewer than 50% of white and almost none of black children attended school. In comparison to the inhabitants of the world’s poorest nations, Americans used to be on average four times wealthier; today, this difference is 100 times larger.
Poorer nations have also seen improvements. More progress has been made in the past 50 years than at any previous period in history in terms of lowering poverty and enhancing health and education. The average life expectancy globally has increased from 47 years in 1955 to 65 years in 2005. During this time: Diseases like smallpox and river blindness that historically plagued millions of people each year, frequently causing disability and death, have been almost eradicated.
There are a lot more kids in school. Today, 66 percent of adults in Sub-Saharan Africa have completed some type of formal education, up from 28 percent. The average length of time spent in school has increased from 3 to 6 years in Latin America and from 3 to 5 years in Asia. Incomes in developing nations have tripled (compared with a 13-fold increase in Western Europe and a 17-fold increase in the United States). But there is still much to be done. Many people around the world lack access to necessities that we take for granted in the United States.
Every year, persistent hunger and diseases associated with it cause the deaths of 11 million children before they turn five. In addition, AIDS has rendered 14 million children orphans globally.
Malaria kills more than 1 million people annually despite being mostly eradicated in developed nations.
Less than half of adult women in India and Pakistan can read.
Since the republic’s founding, its foreign policy has been a reflection of its core ideals, which include reducing human suffering, promoting economic and educational opportunity, and defending democracy and human rights. PUBLIC SECURITY: Though they do not directly cause conflict, crime, or terrorism, poverty, ill health, and a lack of economic opportunity do create environments that are hostile to peace and stability and leave fragile nations vulnerable to conflict, criminal networks, terrorists, illegal arms dealers, and other destabilizing forces.
ECONOMIC STRENGTH:
The U.S. economy is becoming more and more dependent on trade. Trade’s contribution to the national economy has increased by three times during the last 40 years. Nearly 45 percent of American exports are to developing nations, therefore those nations’ citizens’ ability to make purchases from the US directly affects our economic health.
THE U.S. CAN SUPPORT GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT, BUT HOW?
A comprehensive foreign strategy that prioritizes development would contain the following elements: DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT: Less than 1% of the government budget in the United States is set aside for international aid. These money are employed for a number of things, including assisting
Only one in four impoverished families in Ecuador have access to running water.
Only 12% of Kenya’s roads are paved, making it difficult for farmers and manufacturers to sell their goods in domestic as well as international markets.
WHY MATTERES GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT TO THE USA?
The globe is more connected and dependent on one another now than it has ever been. The United States has a stake in assisting people around the globe in acquiring the knowledge and tools they need to direct their own economic and social growth. Why?
AMERICAN VALUES: The principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness formed the foundation of the United States. The nations construct roads, support government reforms, educate children, combat health crises, establish small enterprises, rebuild after natural disasters, and support alliances.
The United States provided $27.5 billion in development assistance to other nations in 2005, up from $17.8 billion in 2003. This works out to nearly $92 per American per year, or 25 cents per day. The average American spends $224 year on carbonated soft drinks, which is more than twice as much as the average European. Historically, our strategic allies have been the biggest beneficiaries. The United States handed Iraq more than $10 billion in 2005. The U.S. provides development assistance to the world’s poorest nations, where the average daily wage is $2.
