Toward Equality in a Highly Unequal World: The Fate of the LDCs

This article deals with the future of the Least Developed Countries in economically and politically highly uneven and unequal current world order. First, I will discuss how categorization of the United Nations (UN) on the Least Developed Countries (LDC) took place, and the influence of the economic globalization and free market liberalism impacted on the UN’s mainstream policies on this matter. Under this framework, history of the UN categorization of the LDC, and indicators of such categorization will be re-evaluated and the necessity of a new paradigm, especially in relation to concept of “graduation” will be discussed. Recent discussions on inability to evaluate countries’ economic success and its irrelevance on happiness of citizens with GDP in some developed countries, such as France and the U.K. is a good reason to think new alternatives for the LDCs. Secondly, the article will deal with global poverty as one of the major obstacles in 21st Century, and increasing gap between rich and poor countries. Thirdly, the current economic, climatic, institutional, economic and social conditions and difficulties of the LDCs will be evaluated under the framework of the historical reasons such as colonialism and exploitation by the Western powers. At the end, the most recent catastrophic famine that hit Somalia, one of the poorest members of the LDC will be discussed as an extreme example of a failed state. Somalia is a poster child of colonialism, imperialism, environmental degradation, climate change and religious extremism. It is a wake up call for the world community. If the policies of the LDC will not be revitalized and developed countries will not be genuinely committed to change current trade and climate change policies in order to include the needs of the LDCs, and if they will not consider LDC as partner rather than charity receivers such catastrophic famine will be more and more part of the reality for the LDCs and world peace will be significantly jeopardized through internal and international political conflicts.