| Message | Once upon a time, the "macho countries" were driven to establish ever more colonies which spread and maintained a certain brand of order and tended to subvert the existing order (or lack thereof) which was generally considered backwards and uncivilized, at least by the "machos".
Given time, regardless of how one feels about it, such dominance by the more advanced nations managed to drag many backwards civilizations into at least a "catch-up" mode with the status quo, educating many of the people to better understand the workings of the world at large. Most such colonies eventually developed various degrees of freedom and independence, one way or another, particularly those of Western Christian nations who by no means have always acted as Jesus would.
Today, such activity is decried as "imperialism", mostly so by people who decry such through jealousy more than any real concern for the actual subjects at hand. If one compares a current "misery index" for successful former colonies against areas that have been relatively untouched by Western Imperialism, an arguement could be made that some countries are still just not ready to self-govern.
Incentives to invest in wayward parts of the world has always been best served by self-interest. There is for the most part no hate (or love) involved, simply interest or disinterest.
While missionaries (chiefly Christian) have in some cases helped backwards peoples, missionaries often end up being murdered, and perhaps even being served as dinner. Skeptics may say that even such Christians actually act in self-interest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Imperialism
Show me a natural resource, and the world will today beat down any door. Unfortunately, many "backwards" countries will remain that way regardless of their potential as long as those in charge are so throughly corrupt as to not care at all about the general wellfare of the people who often have zero power to change things from within. |
