Saudi Arabia
Economic statistical indicators convey the fact Saudi Arabia is a developed nation. However, close analysis of political and social statistical indicators would suggest that their standard of living and individual freedoms are severely suppressed. This 'developed' nation has abnormalities in its statistical indicators which are similar to those that characterises third world nations.
Saudi Arabia is oil rich and is a strictly Islamic State. Their Muslim religion and its strict adherence to their interpretation of their holy book the Quran actively dominates citizens position and role in their society. Even though they are a very modest nation in appearance, western countries are extremely concerned about the lack of human rights in Saudi Arabia.
Areas of concern include abuse of prisoners, incommunicado detention, prohibitions or severe restrictions on freedom of speech, press, peaceful assembly, freedom of association, religion, denial of right of citizens to change their government, systematic discrimination against women and ethnic and religious minorities and suppression of workers rights.
Statistics
Political
Indicators Saudi Arabia USA Philippines Cambodia
Capital City Riyadh Washington DC Manila Phnom Penh
Area (sq km) 2149690 9372614 300000 181035
Population ('000s) 1998 17615 258104 72164 10751
Economic
Indicators Saudi Arabia USA Philippines Cambodia
GNP 1995 per capita (US$) 7040 26980 1050 270
Total exports (millions of US$) 56700 625100 25000 615
Total imports (millions of US$) 25400 825000 34000 1000
Economically Active (%) 32.2 50.4 N/A 43.1
Participation rate (%) 59.1 79.4 N/A 86.2
Unemployment 25 5.4 N/A N/A
Social/Cultural
Indicators Saudi Arabia USA Philippines...
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... ensure the development of Saudi Arabia into a modern and potentially tolerant society. Education begets knowledge and hopefully wisdom. Wisdom begets tolerance and fulfills basic human ideals.
Lack of education begets continued ignorance, which begets intolerance, injustice and inhumanity.
Bibliography:
1. Atlas Detail Statistics Output
www.johnwiley.com.au/school/jacatlas/StatsDetail.cfm
2. Saudi Arabia
1cweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cdtdy:@field(DOCID+sa0038)
3. The Third World -- Development and Interdependence, Rex Beddis, Oxford University Press, 1995, pgs. 148 -- 155.
4. Britannica Book of the Year,
Nations of the World, pgs 568, 701, 735-738.
5. Embassy of Saudi Arabia, U.S.A.
www.saudi.net/mainpage.html
6. The Hamlyn Illustrated Encyclopedia, pgs. 512-513, The Hamlyn Publishing Group, London, 1988
In chapter three Isbister explains that social scientists wrestled to justify conditions in the third world, as a result, a mixture of indefinite theories developed. A point often overlooked, by social scientists is that the struggle and growth of Asia, Africa, and Latin America cannot be measured “in statistics, nor in treatises of social scientists and historians.” After reading the chapter, an obvious conclusion stood out poverty is tangible for most of the world’s people and nations. Why is this and who is to blame? Are the poor people to be blamed for their own poverty? The answers are arranged into three different groups: mod¬ernization, dependency, and Marxism.
Since the 1970s, Venezuela has gone from being South America’s richest nation into a nouveau-poor society in search of an identity. Once known as the Saudis of the West, Venezuelans have seen their economic fortunes decline in exact proportion to the general fall in world oil prices. Even so, Venezuela’s many problems were hidden from view until relatively recently, when severity measures heralded the sort of economic crises so painfully familiar to other Latin American countries. Runaway inflation, currency devaluations and even food riots have marked this new phase in Venezuelan history, to which the country is still trying to adjust.
...commit to the Islamic beliefs. As of right now money is the main attraction and concern for he Saudis instead of religion beliefs.
They increase the spending on connectivity and human resources (Saudi Arabia Emergence Innovation Kingdom, 2014). Saudi Arabia is the largest economy in the Middle East and the richest Arab country. The economy of Saudi Arabia is entirely based on oil (Smetoolkit.org, 2014). Saudi Arabia is the 19th largest exporter and the 20th largest import market in the world (Saudiembassy.net, 2014). Exports now in the kingdom include all economic sectors.
* Speth, James Gustave. “The Plight of the Poor: The Unites States Must Increase Development Aid.” Foreign Affairs v. 78 no3. May/June. 1999: 1-3.
Venezuela was one of the richest countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Ecuador). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959. Current concerns include: a polarized political environment, a politicized military, drug-related violence along the Colombian border, increasing internal drug consumption, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.
The place of women in Saudi society is determined by a deeply conservative culture, vindicated by a narrow interpretation of religion, and enforced by law. That place it would appear is at home, subservient to and legally dependant on their male guardian. Saudi society suffers from pervasive segregation along gender lines and women's freedom of movement is impeded, forcing them to rely on male chaperons.
...gely by religious values: Conservative dress, conservative literature, and conservative behavior. Freedom of political and religious expression is not allowed, and diversions like dancing, or movies, activities are almost nonexistence in Saudi Arabia. As it has been for centuries, the cultural and political life of Saudi Arabia continues to be expressed in terms of Islamic principles.
Both countries have nearly identical scores in the dimension of masculinity. This exhibits the driving cultural forces of competition and achievement, with success held in high regard over other values. With Uncertainty Avoidance, the country is once again polarized. With the USA's relatively low score, the culture exhibits acceptance for new ideas with an emphasis on innovation and toleration. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Saudi Arabia maintains rigidity in belief systems and acceptable behaviors and ideas, valuing security over uncertainty.
In the face of media campaigns and political sanctions, the question about whether we owe the global poor assistance and rectification is an appropriate one. Despite television advertisements displaying the condition of the poor and news articles explaining it, the reality is the majority of us, especially in the Western world, are far removed from the poverty that still affects a lot of lives. The debate between Thomas Pogge and Mathias Risse regarding our obligation to the poor questions the very institution we live in. Pogge created a new framework in which the debate developed. He introduced a focus on the design of the institutional global order, and the role it plays in inflicting or at least continuing the severe poverty people are exposed to. Whilst both Mathias Risse and Thomas Pogge believe that the “global order is imperfectly developed. It needs reform rather than revolutionary overthrow”, they differ on whether or not it is just and entitles the global poor to assistance. Pogge believes that the global order is unjust as it “helps to perpetuate extreme poverty, violating our negative duty not to harm others unduly”. Risse believes that the institution is only incompletely just and can be credited to improving lives of the global poor. According to him, these improvements contribute to its justifiability and negate any further obligation we have to the poor. Through assessing their debate, it seems that one’s obligation to the poor depends on one’s conception of duty, their unit of analysis, and whether improvement rectifies injustice. On balance, it seems that we do indeed owe the poor, only we may lack the means to settle it.
As Escobar points out in The Problematization of Poverty, one of the many changes in the post-WW2 era was the "discovery" of mass poverty throughout the world. This "discovery" had massive implications for development discourse. Prior to WW2, development discourse was limited to the colonial experience. But with the end of colonial rule lurking on the horizon, western academics began to formulate theories of economic growth and "modernization." As a result, an entire genre of academic research emerged: the development discourse. The aim of development discourse was to chart out patterns of growth (which were based on the historical successes of the West) that newly independent countries could use, primarily to escape vicious cycles of poverty, famine, etc.
Ridker. R.G. (ed). ‘Changing Resource Problems of The Fourth World’, Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1976.
However, you need to understand the situation in Saudi Arabia first. The way people drive in Saudi Arabia is insane. I mean, imagine that all cars are not following the traffic laws. You can go as fast as the car goes and you wouldn't be stopped at all. Leading to the deaths of nineteen people every day on the country’s roads.
South Africa is a nation with a wonderful and varied culture. This country has been called “The Rainbow Nation”, a name that reflects the diversity of such amazing place. The different ethnic and cultural groups of the South Africa do, however, appreciate their own beliefs and customs. Many of these traditions, besides African culture, are influenced by European and Western heritage. The complex and diverse population of the country has made a strong impact to the various cultures. There are forty-five million people; about thirty million are black, five million white, three million coloured and one million Indians. The black population has a large number of rural people living in poverty. It is among these inhabitants that cultural customs are preserve the most.
The First World is said to be the industrialised, capitalist countries of Western Europe, North America, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand who are developed (as explained in the definition). The Third World includes the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America who are still in the mode of developing. Normally we understand the situation of underdevelopment is because the third world was under the colonies or the colonial rule for a certain period of time and lags behind the first world in every aspect like- social, economical, political, technological advancements which are yet to be seen in the third world fully like the first world. In this paper we will talk about various theorists from Karl Marx (capitalism and class conflict), Kay and Amin (merchant capitalism, colonialism and neo-colonialism), Vladimir Lenin (imperialism), Andre Gunder Frank (third world dependency), Lipton (urban bias) and dependency theory.