Thursday, August 28, 2014

Globalisation - is it a good thing?

So, with the tragedy in West Africa (Ebola infections) being made worse by governments without a risk management strategy of any sort-- all three initial countries barely struggling to keep peace between different factions--  the exacerbation caused by effects of globalisation can be seen.
Attempts to cordon off reputed affected areas are being met with resistance as fears about regular food supplies in urban areas and other goods and services in the more rural areas are quite rightly being raised-- official responses seem very ad hoc and would not inspire confidence in the populations that the people in charge have their well-being at heart.  Add the declining international transportation services to those areas to the  mix with dwindling non-local supplies and no wonder the people are inclined to riot!  Rather reminiscent of Italian city states during the plague.
So where are the smart asses who devised the grand plan that countries should not be self-sufficient and instead  join the global rat race? And what suggestions do they have for desperate people without even means of basic protective barriers? Even more worrisome is that the majority of population in the worse hit country (Liberia) are illiterate and the most effective communication means is by radio and as knowledgeable people in the front-line decline there are not many others to take up the slack. Typical - destroy the local capability to create a band of elites to tie into the global system then stand back and wash your hands of the situation when it all gets out of control!

29.9.14: 'Though far from over, the crisis has demonstrated how ill-equipped the multilateral system is to cope with global public health emergencies, particularly in the world’s weak and failing states. In an increasingly globalized world, it is illusory and hazardous to imagine that fragile states can cope with such emergencies on their own, cordoned off from the rest of the world.' http://blogs.cfr.org/patrick/2014/09/10/ebola-reveals-gaps-in-global-epidemic-response/

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