Economics is the external force which changes the momentum for society.
The world order has consistently seen change quite often due to social disturbances caused by a depressing economic scenario. We are now witnessing the beginning of another fundamental change.
“We must ensure that federal funds are used to buy American products and to help promote manufacturing in our country” - Sen. Sherrod Brown
The deepening economic crisis is changing the contours of International trade and attitudes. When the crisis was appearing initially, there was a world view that we have to take concerted action globally. It was being said that it was neither a US problem nor a European problem alone but a global problem. Stimulus Plans were made and bail out money given to save countries from collapse, Iceland, Pakistan, Ukraine etc.
The barrel has almost been scrapped clean, and in the next couple of months sovereign debt of more than $ 400 Billion is due from Central and Eastern European Countries. Who will play Santa now that countries are so badly affected that they may not have the funds or inclination to help?
As the above statement shows, there is a hardening of public opinion in favor of “me first”. With no support are we staring at the dismemberment of the European Union between the Haves and Have Not?
A Brief Look through Time
Magna Carta – Signing of the “Charter for Rights of People”
King John, of England due to his misrule and conflict with France, and the pope needed huge sums of money to maintain his armies. In the seventeen years of his rule he raised feudal payments eleven times. Finally he imposed income tax for the first time. His misrule and deep economic deprivations caused the people to revolt, forcing King John to sign the charter of "Magna Carta" in 1215, which proclaimed certain rights to people.
“No taxation without representation”
America was a British Colony ruled by England till the last half of the 18th Century. All taxes and issues related to the colonies were decided in London. The cry for representation and right to resources lay the groundwork for self governing and Independent States. We got “"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness "
Let them eat cake
The leaders in Europe in the latter part of the 18th century were almost oblivious to the aspirations of the ruled and the economic hardships faced. Queen Antoinette’s remark was a grim example of how out of touch the monarchy in France was, and hunger and economic collapse led to the French revolution. From the French revolution we got “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité”
No amount of political freedom will satisfy the hungry masses.
Vladimir Lenin who famously quoted these words led the Russian revolution and established the USSR. Communist Russia gave us the strong roots for a welfare state, which is what most of Western Europe is today.
Glasnost, Uskoreniye and Perestroika
The world order has consistently seen change quite often due to social disturbances caused by a depressing economic scenario. We are now witnessing the beginning of another fundamental change.
“We must ensure that federal funds are used to buy American products and to help promote manufacturing in our country” - Sen. Sherrod Brown
The deepening economic crisis is changing the contours of International trade and attitudes. When the crisis was appearing initially, there was a world view that we have to take concerted action globally. It was being said that it was neither a US problem nor a European problem alone but a global problem. Stimulus Plans were made and bail out money given to save countries from collapse, Iceland, Pakistan, Ukraine etc.
The barrel has almost been scrapped clean, and in the next couple of months sovereign debt of more than $ 400 Billion is due from Central and Eastern European Countries. Who will play Santa now that countries are so badly affected that they may not have the funds or inclination to help?
As the above statement shows, there is a hardening of public opinion in favor of “me first”. With no support are we staring at the dismemberment of the European Union between the Haves and Have Not?
A Brief Look through Time
Magna Carta – Signing of the “Charter for Rights of People”
King John, of England due to his misrule and conflict with France, and the pope needed huge sums of money to maintain his armies. In the seventeen years of his rule he raised feudal payments eleven times. Finally he imposed income tax for the first time. His misrule and deep economic deprivations caused the people to revolt, forcing King John to sign the charter of "Magna Carta" in 1215, which proclaimed certain rights to people.
“No taxation without representation”
America was a British Colony ruled by England till the last half of the 18th Century. All taxes and issues related to the colonies were decided in London. The cry for representation and right to resources lay the groundwork for self governing and Independent States. We got “"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness "
Let them eat cake
The leaders in Europe in the latter part of the 18th century were almost oblivious to the aspirations of the ruled and the economic hardships faced. Queen Antoinette’s remark was a grim example of how out of touch the monarchy in France was, and hunger and economic collapse led to the French revolution. From the French revolution we got “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité”
No amount of political freedom will satisfy the hungry masses.
Vladimir Lenin who famously quoted these words led the Russian revolution and established the USSR. Communist Russia gave us the strong roots for a welfare state, which is what most of Western Europe is today.
Glasnost, Uskoreniye and Perestroika
The economic collapse of the erstwhile Soviet Union led to the breakup of the USSR, and freedom for the Central Asian Republics and the disappearance of the Warsaw Pact.
1 comment:
The issue you bring up about people becoming more focused on their own good ( or nations as a whole) rather than a what's good for everyone is an indication of the fear that is rampant. And it's fear of survival. So we turn inward to protect the self (or our own nation) in these times and who cares about the rest.
It's human nature. Of course, we have the power of reason and the ability to recognize what's happening and choose to act differently in the face of fear. Sometimes we do and sometimes we don't.
Hopefully we won't have politicians playing off the fear and gearing up nationalism as we've seen in the past, such as pre Nazi Germany.
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