ACHIEVING GROWTH

It’s the best of times; it’s the worst of times. In a way, the second decade of this century might turn out to be a clear-cut watershed for modern world when in retrospect toward the end of this century.

Although FDR expanded the scope of the Monroe Doctrine to global proportions, the Western world has propelled the planet towards unparalleled prosperity by means of economic and technological globalization. The international transfer of labor and technology has undoubtedly uplifted societies worldwide, yet the chasm between the affluent and the impoverished, both at the societal and individual levels, as well as the divide between the powerful and the powerless, has continued to widen to an extent never before seen.

The war in Ukraine has mirrored (and highlighted) the ever-deepening gap between the West and the Rest, so to speak. Will we progress along the same pathway for ensured prosperity as we have been for over two hundred years; or will we have to take a sharp turn and head toward a totally unpredictable, and in a way catastrophic, future? Will we in the West continue to be inspired and united under the so-called Western banner; or will we have to hand over the gavel to “the rest” like a rising China (and in the eyes of many analysts and politicians, a de facto alliance between Russia and China)? These are not questions for our future generations. They are challenges for us to face up to.

It is exactly these challenges that are calling for brave and responsible minds of our societies to stand out. It is also the challenges that will bring forth enormous opportunities to the intelligent and pioneering ones.