Dear Editor,
One sub school of modern Marxist thought that reflects the International Relations between states is the World System Theory argued by Immanuel Wallerstein. With the saturation of transnationals especially to third world countries, Wallerstein’s argument of the core, periphery and semi-periphery project the continuous exploitive nature of capitalism with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The core is the developed states which are strong with capital, periphery does not have strong state machinery and semi-periphery embodied both the core and the periphery. The Globalization of World Politics by John Baylis & Steve Smith stated, “According to world-system theorists, the three zones of world-economy are linked together in an exploitative relationship in which wealth is drained away from the periphery to the centre. As a consequence, the relative positions of these zones become ever more deeply entrenched: the rich get richer whilst the poor become poorer.”
Brazil’s President Lula, an experienced world leader and champion of the poor couldn’t have said it better in his speech at the opening of the UN’s General Assembly, “The 10 biggest billionaires have more wealth than the poorest 40% of humanity. The destiny of every child born on this planet seems to be drawn in their mother’s womb. Whether you will make full meals or have been denied the right to breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. It is necessary, first of all, to beat resignation, which makes us accept such injustice as a natural phenomenon. To inequality, you lack the political will of those who rule the world.” The brilliant US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken in his remarks to the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) “The Power and Purpose of American Diplomacy in a New Era” said, “And inequality has skyrocketed. Between 1980 and 2020, the richest .1 percent accumulated the same wealth as the poorest 50 percent. The longer these disparities persist, the more distrust and disillusionment they fuel in people who feel the system is not giving them a fair shake.”
The argument and debate continue as to how to reform capitalism especially its exploitative nature. On the 18th of September 2023 the UN General Assembly adopted a declaration to accelerate the UN SDGs. In an encouraging tweet yesterday morning world renowned French economist Olivier Blanchard said, “A remarkable study of redistribution in France by INSEE: https://insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7669723…Bottom line. Before redistribution, ratio of income of highest income people (10% of pop) to lowest income people (13% of pop) is 18 to 1. After redistribution, 3 to 1.” Then according to the World Bank China lifted 800 million people out of poverty.
Yours sincerely,
Sharmini Rampersaud
Cert Law and Politics
