Thank Caitlin McDonough for these
questions....
1. What is the fundamental ideas behind developmentalism?
2.
According to the author how is this idea flawed?
3. What does
the author suggest is a better way to help the struggling countries?
“And that expansion is the driver behind the third great power shift of the modern age-the rise of the rest….The post American world is naturally an unsettling prospect for Americans, but it should not be. This will be not be a world defined by the decline of America but rather the rise of everyone else.”
1. America is known for being a super power, if (soon) one day this isn’t the case do you think America will have a kind of identity crisis? How do you believe most Americans will feel about this?
Data shows that wars of all kinds have been declining since the mid 1980’s and that we are now at the lower levels of global violence since the 1950’s. It is speculated that we are living in the “most peaceful time of our species”.
2. Is this the impression you get judging from what the media, news, etc says?
Poverty is falling in countries that house 80% of the population. But food is in the midst of a scary price rise due to its growing global demand with larger numbers of people eating, drinking, and washing.
3. Do you think this problem could drive more people further in to poverty, or prevents others from coming out of poverty?
4. I agree with the author that as economic fortunes rise in some countries (ex. China, Russia) a strong nationalism will arise, especially from having pent up aggression over previously having to accept Western narratives of World history. As their economic fortunes rise so will their voice.
Do you agree or disagree?
1. In the first chapter the author makes direct correlations between the current situation of the world and the past. Will the world of today be able to fix current world dilemmas? What does looking at the past have to do with the future?
2. The text explains, “Our challenge is not so much to invent global cooperation as it is to rejuvenate, modernize, and extend it.” What does global cooperation mean to you and how could the United States and the World ‘rejuvenate’ and ‘extend’ it?
3. In the chapter the author explains that the United States is the only leading nation without global health care. What do you think the author would think of Obama’s new health care plan?
1. What do you think about the center of gravity of the world economy changing from the United States to Asia in the future?
2. What other policies beside the four listed do you think could be used as private incentives?
3. How do you suggest helping extreme poverty in areas like the tropics, drought prone, malaria-riden or off the main trade routes, where extreme poverty seems to be concentrated?
4. Why do you think the poorest countries have the highest feritiliy rate and the most rapid population growth?
5. What about Chapter 2 "Our Crowded Planet" caught you attention the most?