Essay/Term paper: The role of the u.s. in the third world in the year 2000

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Social Issues

The Role of the U.S. in the Third World in the Year 2000


The United States budget will continue to tighten and we must better
utilize our dollars spent on Third World aid. The questions of illegal
immigration, the population explosion, and environmental issues will become
vital to our future. With closer linkage of US aid to these issues we can get
the most bang for our buck.

The best way to stop illegal immigration into the United States is not
to erect higher fences at our borders, but to invest in the third world,
primarily Mexico. Providing jobs at home where they enjoy life without worry
about the INS is the best solution. This solution will be cheaper than
increasing funding for border patrols and INS personnel. If we were able to
keep most illegal immigrates home, the more impoverished they would become and
the greater the incentive for them to cross the border. By investing and
improving their homeland, more people would stay home, rather than take the
dangerous journey to an unknown country to provide food for their families.

Slowing down population rates of third world countries must be another
priority. Empowering women in third world countries, giving them
independence from their husband and a choice in birth control is a start.
Smaller grants similar to Foundation of the Philippine Environment can reward
particular actions of foreign government, whether it be environmental, social or
economic. Too many of current policies are aimed at creating markets for our
commercial interests.

We must also link aid with environmental issues, making the rain forest
and jungles more profitable to locals without bulldozing them. This has been
demonstrated in Uganda with the mountain gorillas. Eco-tourism is helping the
local economies and the national governments. This was also working in Rwanda
until Civil War tore this country apart. Fortunately the mountain gorillas
have been left alone for the most part, since this was their third largest
income provider and the number one and two sources, coffee and tea fields were
destroyed during the war.

Worldwide instant communication has improved human rights. The use of
fax machines and cell telephones during the Tiananmen Square uprising informed
the world of events and somewhat restrained the Chinese. Dan Rather doing the
evening news from the Square while the protests were happening prevented the
massacre from being ignored. The advent of CNN has put instant news into the
hands of people all over the world. The World Wide Web is now letting people
put their stories doing. This is starting at Universities and will
exponentially expand as the equipment gets cheaper and students will move into
the work force. This newest communication tool will help put pressure on
authoritarian regimes that normally a free press would provide.

We must not ignore the Third World countries for many parts of our
inter-cities are becoming Third World. Their problems will become our problems.
There is a growing isolationist movement in this country. This has never
solved problems, only postponed and enlarged the problems.