Wealthy nations benefit from global systems that extract resources, labor, and value from poorer regions while offering limited paths to equitable development. This imbalance is sustained through trade rules, debt structures, and political influence.
International trade is often promoted as mutually beneficial, yet its terms are rarely equal. Developing countries export raw materials at low prices while importing finished goods at high cost. This traps economies in low-value production and limits their ability to industrialize or diversify.
- Wealthy nations dominate global forums, set agendas, and influence norms, while poorer states are pressured to comply.
- Development assistance is often tied to conditions that reflect donor interests rather than local needs.
Debt plays a central role in maintaining dependency. Many countries spend more servicing external debt than investing in health, education, or infrastructure. These obligations restrict policy choices and force governments to prioritize creditors over citizens.
Reducing global inequality requires structural change, not charity. Without reforming the rules that govern trade, finance, and representation, international cooperation will continue to reproduce the same hierarchies under the language of partnership.
